It began in 1941 — not the most casual of decisions — one formed by executive order by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, where the first African-American Marines were to serve their country.

They would be segregated and exposed to the harshness of being Black in America at that time, despite the risk that came with fighting for their country in World War II.

They were trained at Montford Point camp in North Carolina. It was the beginning of change in America’s military. Boot camp was right next to Camp Lejeune. More than 19,168 Black Marines trained at Montford Point in 1942–49, closing after President Harry Truman’s executive order to desegregate the armed forces. Roughly 200–300 of those Marines are still alive today.

In November of 2011, the U.S. Senate unanimously awarded them the Congressional Gold Medal, Congress’ highest civilian honor. The House passed the measure 422-0 on Oct. 25.

“The Montford Point Marines are finally receiving the recognition they deserve,” Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., who pushed the measure in the Senate, said after it was approved.

“These men, who were based out of North Carolina in World War II, served our country with courage and dedication, even in the face of discrimination and intolerance,” she said. “There is no better way to celebrate the Marine Corps’ birthday and Veterans Day than by honoring these men for their service and sacrifice, and granting them the recognition that is 50 years overdue.”

Added Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Amos: “The Montford Point Marines’ selfless service and sacrifice, during a time when their contributions to our nation were not fully appreciated or recognized, have made this country a better place for all Americans.”

Recruiting was to begin on June 1, 1942. Although the public announcement was not made until May 20, the basic instructions were sent out in a letter from the Commandant on May 15. This letter set a quota of 200 recruits each from Eastern and Central Divisions while the Southern was to furnish 500 of the initial 900 recruits. These men were to be citizens between 17 and 29 years of age, and they were to meet the existing standards for enlistment in the Corps. They were to be enlisted in Class III, Marine Corps Reserve, and assigned to inactive duty in a General Service Unit of their Reserve District. Both the service record book and the enlistment contract were to be stamped “COLORED.”

On Aug. 18, 1942, Headquarters and Service Battery of the 51st Composite Defense Battalion was activated at Montford Point. The first African-American recruit to arrive at the camp was Howard P. Perry of Charlotte, N.C. He arrived Aug. 26 and was later joined by 119 other recruits who began training in September. Over the next two years, Montford Point would be the training site for the 51st and 52nd Defense Battalions. But in those days, integration was a relative term. Though Black troops would train and be Marines, they would still be kept separate from the white troops at nearby Camp Lejeune. Unless accompanied by a white Marine, they were not allowed to set foot in Camp Lejeune. And after they were shipped off to battle zones, they served exclusively in all-Black units.

“I feel great about it,” said the Rev. Joe Williams of Philadelphia, a former Montford Point Marine. “It’s long overdue. I love it. The white guys didn’t want you there. They told me — we didn’t send for you. They didn’t want Black guys in the Marine Corps. They didn’t consider us real Marines. They gave us the worst of everything. A couple of guys got killed with white and Black Marines fighting against each other. As a matter of fact, they beat me so bad they nearly beat my eye out. “

While the African-American Army Buffalo Soldiers and the Air Force Tuskegee Airmen have had some measure of renown, the first Black Marines have simply grown old — mostly in obscurity.

The Army and Navy had been recruiting blacks since the Civil War. But even when they did join, the Montford Point Marines never achieved officer status and were assigned mostly to ammunition and supply duty.

Some fought at Iwo Jima and went to Japan to clean up the ash after the atomic bomb was dropped over Nagasaki. Basic training was brutal, their barracks were ramshackle huts, and the Marines often were kicked and slapped during drills.

“They didn’t want us in there to begin with” said Thomas S. Turner, a former Montford Point Marine and father of Dr. Diane Turner, Curator of the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection in Philadelphia. “They referenced us as ‘you people’, as if we were some type of animals. It was rough, but we survived. So this is definitely a winner.”

The House bill, known as H.R. 2447, was introduced by Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Florida, who sought to grant these men the Congressional Gold Medal.

“Certainly, it is necessary to honor all of America’s war heroes’ selfless service and sacrifice, and in particular, those who served at Montford Point. They answered our nation’s call at a time when our society was deeply divided along racial lines,” said Brown in statement. “As such, many of their contributions went unrecognized, and many times they were not given the respect and recognition they deserved as Marines, as Americans, and as patriots. To correct this past injustice, I introduced this Resolution on their behalf, and wholeheartedly believe that it is my duty as a legislator to confer the Congressional Gold Medal on the Montford Point Marines for their service to the United States, from WWII to the Vietnam era. This is a proud victory for the Montford Point Marines, as this Gold Medal will forever anchor their role in the history of our nation’s great military.”

U.S. Marine Corp. Colonel Stephanie C. Smith, who is the Special Project Officer of the Montford Point Project told Politic365.com in a phone interview that the Montford Point Marines experienced “unspeakable” and “absolutely dehumanizing” racism while serving their country.

She contended that because many of them were nearing the end of their lives, they felt immense meaning from the bill’s unanimous passage through the House.

“I think that it means everything to this group of Marines to receive this validation, albeit 69 years late, but it means the world to them - and I know this personally and I know this professionally because my father is a Montford Point Marine,” adding that her father was “dancing a jig” on the day the bill’s House passage.

“They have lived and almost got to the end of their life never thinking that they were going to get this recognition, and with this feeling that they have literally been written out of not just Marine Corps history but the wider World War II history as well,” said Smith.

Zack Burgess is the enterprise writer for The Tribune. He is a freelance writer and editor who covers culture, politics and sports. He can be contacted at zackburgess.com.