For the last three years, Mallorie Berger has been on a research mission to discover all 20,000 men who served as Montford Point Marines during World War II. That inspiration began after she discovered that her own grandfather — Maurice L. Burns, Sr. — was also a member of that historic unit.
“My grandfather was a trailblazer, serving in a historic and segregated Marine Corps unit at Montford Point in Jacksonville, North Carolina, part of Camp Lejeune,” Berger said.
In 1941, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt issued an executive order prohibiting the armed services from barring African Americans from military duty. A direct result was the creation of Montford Point, a segregated training base that operated from Aug. 26, 1942, until Sept. 9, 1949, when the camp was decommissioned. Historically, the Montford Point Marines were the first Black recruits to serve in the Marine Corps. During WWII, the largest number of Black Marines to serve in combat took part in the seizure of Okinawa, with approximately 2,000 seeing action.
Over the last three years of researching and identifying former Montford Point Marines, Berger uncovered some incredible facts. Two men who served in the same unit as her grandfather celebrated their 100th birthdays this past November. George McIvory turned 100 on Nov. 15, and Charles Cargile Hall Sr. hit the century mark on Nov. 16…