Montford Marines added to Crucible - Marine Corps News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Marine Corps Times

Montford Marines added to Crucible

MARINE BARRACKS WASHINGTON — The Crucible, one of boot camp’s most grueling events, will soon include a new historical reference to a largely overlooked group: the Corps’ first black enlistees.

They are known as the Montford Point Marines, named after the scrubby patch of land on the edge of Camp Lejeune, N.C., where from 1942 to 1949 the first black recruits were trained in a segregated boot camp. Commandant Gen. Jim Amos announced last month that the legacy of the Montford Point Marines will be incorporated into the 54-hour obstacle course held during the 11th week of recruit training.

The Crucible includes sleep and food deprivation, and physically and mentally challenges recruits to work as a team. A hallmark of the exercise is its historical tie-ins, which include lessons on notable Marines such as Medal of Honor recipients Pfc. Robert Jenkins and Pfc. Fernando Luis Garcia and Navy Cross recipients Cpl. Todd Corbin and Gunnery Sgt. Justin LeHew.

It’s not clear when the change will begin, but it will become part of the 16 events that compose the Crucible. “There will be a history tie-in with one of the events,” said Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Mike Barrett.

Amos and Barrett hosted the surviving Montford Point Marines here in Washington to mark the 70th anniversary of the presidential order allowing blacks to serve in the armed forces.

In addition to the change in the Crucible, Amos announced other initiatives aimed at cementing Montford Point’s legacy, including:

• A pending resolution in Congress to award the Montford Point Marines a Congressional Gold Medal.

• A tribute video compiled by Marine Corps combat camera staff.

• A permanent exhibit at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, Va.

• The addition of books detailing the history of Montford Point Marines to the Commandant’s Reading List.

The Marine Corps was the slowest service to implement executive order 8802, issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Amos said. Looking back on that, he added, “I just can’t understand why.”

Montford Point Marines first saw action in the Pacific during World War II. Former Sgt. Edwin Fizer, 85, of New Orleans, enlisted at age 16. He was one of the first to arrive in North Carolina for training.

“The ‘N’ word was common. It was used every day,” he said of the racism he and his peers endured.

At the Aug. 26 event, Fizer and others chuckled at the fact they were seated at a table with a three-star general.

“We didn’t get this recognition when we returned from war,” Fizer said. “This is glorifying.”