Governor Stein Proclaims Montford Point Marine Day

Montford Point Marine Day 

2026

By The Governor Of The State Of North Carolina

A Proclamation

Whereas, the Montford Point Marines represent a historic milestone as the first African Americans to serve in the United States Marine Corps since the Revolutionary War; and

 

Whereas, in 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt enacted Executive Order 8802, which prohibited racial discrimination in the defense industry and federal agencies, thereby paving the way for African Americans to enlist in the Marine Corps; and

 

Whereas, on August 26, 1942, the first African American recruits arrived at Montford Point Camp in Jacksonville, North Carolina, marking a historic milestone in the integration of the Marine Corps; and

 

Whereas, from 1942 to 1949, approximately 20,000 African American men completed basic training at Montford Point Camp; and despite early plans to discharge these Marines after World War II and maintain segregation, their distinguished service and perseverance contributed to the desegregation in the United States Armed Forces through Executive Order 9981, issued by President Harry S. Truman in 1948; and

 

Whereas, in 2012, the 112th United States Congress, with bipartisan support, approved the award of a Congressional Gold Medal – one of the nation’s highest civilian honors – to the Montford Point Marines in recognition of their enduring legacy and their role in shaping a more inclusive military; and

 

Whereas, the National Montford Point Marine Association, Inc., established in 1965, remains committed to preserving and promoting the legacy of the Montford Point Marines; and on February 29, 2024, the association was officially recognized as a Veterans Service Organization (VSO) by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, authorizing it to assist veterans in the preparation, presentation, and prosecution of claims for benefits under the laws and rules administered by the department;

Now, Therefore, I, Josh Stein, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim August 28, 2026, as “Montford Point Marine Day” in North Carolina and commend its observance to all residents.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina at the Capitol in Raleigh this twenty-first day of July in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-sixth and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fifty-first.