The New York Chapter extends its sympathy, prayers and greatful appreciation to
those Original Montford Pointers, who
paved the way and laid the footprint in the sand
for the many who followed ........
From the humble beginnings at New River to
Nothern China,
Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Korea, Saipan, and places
which are
part of American Military history
your legacy and history
established a pivitol turning point
towards a force in readiness ......
Go to the bottom of the page to view and see how you can help in our
efforts......
Welcome
- the goal of the MPMA-NY Chapter is to preserve the memories, values and
foundations of those who have past before us. In doing so we have hosted
programs, provided education, sponsored youth programs such as the Harlem Youth
Marines, and many other community based programs. The chapter has a
long-standing commitment, of reaching out toward interacting and educating all
that are interested in the continuing legacy of Marine Corps traditions past and
present. The history of the Montford Pointers as they are often referred - can
be found on several MPMA websites which chronicles the long standing legacy of
these men. Recent articles "Montford Point Marines Honored" and the Right to
Fight, are just recent examples of MPMA Members in the news.
The most recent
documentary film project is the long awaited joint venture endeavor between
(University North Carolina-Wilmington and University South Carolina) and the
original Montford Pointers titled "The Marines of Montford Point: Fighting for
Freedom".
This
documentary film, narrated by stage and screen actor Lou Gosset Jr. tells the
stories, and the quest of African Americans to serve there country during their
entry into the U.S. Marine Corps. Yet in the face of this difficult time of
personal and un-toll challenges, they maintained loyalty, friendships, dignity
and pride which this film captures.
With airing's occurring
on PBS Stations around the country - the NY Chapter extends a profound thanks
to all entities and individuals who were involved with this project.
Brief History & Pictorial
(click here)
There is a long list of websites which along with our sister Chapter in
Maryland, openly tells the stories of African Americans in segregated New River
and Jacksonville North Carolina during 1942. The resistance by the Corps during
this period though documented is masked by many other tales of Marine folklore
for the same period. Unlike the Navy which made an effort to address the
inclusion - though in relatively small numbers and mainly steward roles,
Maj Gen Holcomb
(then Marine Commandant) resisted. Eventually the country & the Corps yielded to
the efforts documented by Eleanor Roosevelt as a champion against racism, the
Fair Employment Practices Commission and signing of
Presidential Executive Order 8802,
by the Administration, and a pressing need to engage more troops to the
pacific, the formation of black units began to emerge. Many began training in
isolation at Montford Point - and it would be some time before any actually
deploy or actually see combat......
Ultimately
after standing on the shoulders of so many before them - the legacy of those who
trained at Montford Point ended as quickly as it began. President Harry Truman
in an effort to expand on the de-segregation of America established
Executive
Order 9981.
This order ultimately established the committees and the early formation of
recommendations which lead to the closure of Montford Point as a segregated boot
camp. What was clear was that the prewar policies of the past were now
disappearing.
While the African-American
Marines in the United States braved loneliness and racial discrimination, those
overseas might wait on distant islands for Japanese attacks that never came;
manhandle heavy containers out of ships' holds; load all sorts of supplies into
landing craft; sort out the cargo on the beachhead, often under deadly fire; and
move the desperately need material inland to the fighting units. Men in the
defense battalions sometimes unloaded ships, whereas members of the combat
support companies became infantrymen in an emergency, and stewards often doubled
as stretcher bearers.
Documentation of these units inside and out of
the Marine Corps is sparse even to this day. Sadly publications relegate the
story line to just a few pages, while other publications and films of the WWII
era communicate a different story line.
The Library of Congress,
1975 publication (Appendix B) makes strides to outline those units and the men
who served during this period
Where we are today;
In the summer of 1965,
twenty years after World War II, an enterprising group of Marine veterans from
the Philadelphia areas formulated and developed plans to hold a national reunion
of Montford Pointers. The late Attorney Cecil B. Moore, then president of the
largest chapter of the NAACP and later a Philadelphia City Councilman, was a
member of this founding group. On September 17th and l8th, at the Adelphia Hotel
in downtown Philadelphia, over 400 former Marines, retired and active duty
Marines, representing 17 states, attended this reunion. The fervid response led
to the establishment of the Montford Point Marine Association, Inc., a
non-profit veteran organization, chartered in Pennsylvania. Chapters were
immediately organized in 11 major cities. Today there are well over 25 Chapters
within each major region of the U.S.
Our Mission
We are interested in
you joining our organization. As a veteran regardless of branch of service you
have the ability to provide valuable insight, and skills - not just to the
Chapter but to the organization as a whole. If you have the desire to make a
difference and are willing to contribute feel free to contact us via our
Feedback Link or complete the Application and send it in.
Local Contact Information - New York
Please use one of the following to contact us at your
convenience. Meeting's are held every 2nd Saturday at the Harlem YMCA located at
135th Street Lenox Ave at 1PM.
Postal address
346 Broadway Rm 806 NY, NY 10013Electronic mail
Telephone 212-267-3318 FAX 212 442-4170
General Information:
mpma42@verizon.net or
mpmanyc@mpmanyc.com with questions or comments about this web site.
FEATURED SITES
For a copy and Pricing info contact
Dr.
Herman Rhett
Wounded Warriors Connect
National Resource Directory
The Burn Pit Registry
Post 9/11 GI Bill
Information
Hope for the Warriors
Military Spouse Education Opportunities
Congressional Gold Medal
Copyright © 2008 Montford Point Marine
Association NY Chapter