Governor Pat McCrory’s Secretary of Military and Veterans Affairs presented a check for $330,000 to the Montford Point Marine Association to fund the completion of a memorial to the nation’s first black Marines who served at Montford Point at Camp Lejeune. Secretary Cornell Wilson presented the check at a ceremony on Thursday in honor of the first phase of the Montford Point Marines Memorial in Jacksonville.

 

“The 20,000 Marines who trained at Montford Point served our country with courage and honor,” said Governor McCrory. “This memorial will be a constant reminder of the important role they played in our nation’s military.”

 

The Marine Corps began accepting black service members in 1941 by Executive Order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.  Black recruits trained at Montford Point from 1942 to 1949.

 

“North Carolina is proud to be able to provide the funding needed to finish this memorial,” said Secretary Wilson. “As a Marine myself, I am grateful to these men who helped blaze the trail for me and my fellow Marines.”

 

The check presentation was part of the 51st National Convention of the National Montford Point Memorial Association (NMPMA). The funding was included in the state budget signed by Governor McCrory earlier this month.