US Marines

1st African-American Marine

Breaking a tradition of 167 years, the U.S. Marine Corps started enlisting African-American's on June 1, 1942. The first class of 1,200 African-American volunteers began their training 3 months later as members of the 51st Composite Defense Battalion at Montford Point, a section of the 200-square-mile Marine Base, Camp Lejeune, at New River, NC. The first Negro to enlist was Howard P. Perry shown here.(rudeerude)