When Mallorie Berger, BA’94, contacted the IUAA about her grandfather’s story of service, we just had to share this history in our blog. These are her words that convey pride in not only her IU education, but also her grandfather’s tremendous legacy.
On February 19, 2022, I had the distinct privilege to represent my family at a medal ceremony to receive the Congressional Gold Medal on behalf of my late Grandfather, Private Maurice L. Burns, Sr. We have a long IU legacy that began with my grandfather: his daughter Alice R. Marshall, BS’54, (née Burns) graduated from IU’s Kelley School of Business. Her four children followed in her footsteps, each attending and graduating from her alma mater, Indiana University. Vickie Marshall, BEM’82, MM’87, MS’97 (Music Education; Clarinet Performance; Counseling and Human Services); Tori Marshall Dixon, BGS’83; Eric Marshall, BA’87(double major Journalism and Psychology); and Mallorie K. Marshall Berger, MSc, BA’94 (Bachelor of Arts in Economics) – eight degrees in total. David Harrison, a current IU-Bloomington student, is the great-grandson of Mr. Burns.
Maurice L. Burns, Sr. was one of the first Black men to integrate the Marine Corps during World War II. The Marines of Montford Point are largely absent from the World War II narrative and relatively unknown to individuals in the military and to the public at large. During the First World War, 367,000 African Americans served in segregated units, though the Marine Corps remained a white enclave, as they refused to enlist blacks. It was becoming increasingly difficult for African Americans who wished to give their service to their country to do so. Finally on June 25th 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed executive order 8802, which prohibited all racial discrimination in the Armed services. After 144 years of official policy against allowing Blacks to serve their country as Marines, on June 1, 1942, the nation’s first Black Marines broke the color barrier, gaining entry into a military organization that today carries with it tremendous symbolic and mythic significance in America. Moreover, serving in harm’s way to defend a prejudiced nation, Black Marines demonstrated bravery and endurance in the face of institutionalized racism.
Despite this legislation, official racism continued. The Montford Point Marines were the first African Americans in the U.S. Marine Corps and were continually disrespected, discriminated against and abused throughout their training and deployment. At Montford Point Camp, segregation prevailed at the Marine Barracks. The camp was segregated from the rest of the Corps in Jacksonville, N.C., near Camp Lejeune. Within Montford Point Camp, the Black Marines were forced to live in substandard conditions—wooden barracks with concrete floors, potbelly stoves for heat and outhouses for bathrooms. They received inferior training and were issued inferior equipment and supplies. The men were assigned to only two units (support or service), neither of which saw combat during World War II and they were not allowed to become infantrymen or to serve in other mainstream military occupational specialties. They, like almost all Black troops, were assigned non-combat duties due to the prejudiced belief that they would abandon their posts under duress. The Montford Point Marines were treated as an experiment initially, doubted for their intellect and performance.
The famed Tuskegee Airman and Buffalo Soldiers have been immortalized in books, movies, and documentaries, but the Montford Point Marines have not enjoyed the same level of attention and remain relatively unknown. In fact, many of the records that were kept have been damaged or lost. The Montford Point Marines epitomize the term “hidden figures”. As retired Master Gunnery Sergeant Oscar Culp explained in a 2011 interview, “For the most part, they lost our history purposely. They didn’t want the world to know our history.” Today, fewer than 300 Montford Point veterans are believed to be alive.
These Marines have earned their due place in American history. Despite the challenges presented to the Montford Pointers, their valor and performance paved the way for our present integrated armed forces. It took seventy years after the first men enlisted for the Montford Point Marines to finally receive acknowledgement by the American government. On November 23, 2011, President Barack Obama signed into law the legislation to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the Montford Point Marines. This award recognizes Montford Point Marines’ contributions to the Marine Corps and the United States of America from 1942 to 1949, during a time of hardship and segregation. Of the approximately 20,000 Montford Point Marines who are eligible for the medal, fewer than 2,000 have been identified and have received the honor.