{"id":32484,"date":"2022-09-15T14:00:35","date_gmt":"2022-09-15T14:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/09\/15\/abcs-our-america-docuseries-to-showcase-the-montford-point-marines\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T21:11:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T21:11:18","slug":"abcs-our-america-docuseries-to-showcase-the-montford-point-marines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/off-duty\/military-culture\/2022\/09\/15\/abcs-our-america-docuseries-to-showcase-the-montford-point-marines\/","title":{"rendered":"ABC\u2019s \u2018Our America\u2019 docuseries to showcase the Montford Point Marines"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order in June 1941<\/a> opening up defense jobs \u201cwithout discrimination because of race, creed, color, or national origin,\u201d then-Commandant of the Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Thomas Holcomb responded, \u201cIf it were a question of having a Marine Corps of 5,000 whites or 250,000 Negroes, I would rather the whites.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What followed soon after Holcomb\u2019s infamous declaration<\/a> was the 1942 establishment of the Montford Point Marines<\/a>, an all-Black, North Carolina-based unit<\/a> that fought valiantly in a number of the Pacific theater campaigns of World War II \u2014 most notably on Okinawa, Japan, where approximately 2,000 men saw intense action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The unit\u2019s battlefield success prompted the Marine commandant who succeeded Holcomb, Lt. Gen. Alexander A. Vandegrift<\/a>, to adamantly dismiss his predecessor\u2019s stance, stating, \u201cThey are Marines, period.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just over 80 years after the Montford Point Marines integrated the ranks of the Marine Corps, the historic unit is taking center stage as the subject of an upcoming iteration of ABC\u2019s \u201cOur America\u201d<\/a> documentary series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The one-hour \u201cMission Montford Point\u201d<\/a> chronicles not only the accomplishments of the trailblazing \u2014 and oft-forgotten \u2014 Marines, but their ensuing fight for acknowledgement amongst a sea of World War II stories that too often exclude them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 60 years elapsed following the unit\u2019s dissolution \u2014 President Harry S. Truman signed an executive order<\/a> in 1948 ending segregation in the Marine Corps \u2014 before recognition came. In 2012, then-President Barack Obama awarded a collective of nearly 20,000 Montford Point Marines with the Congressional Gold Medal. But despite that distinction, fewer than 2,000 Montford Point Marines have actually received their medals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of the documentary, crews follow the indefatigable efforts by a handful of individuals to track down descendants of the Montford Point Marines, a task made all the more difficult given the dearth of a Montford Point personnel log.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe legacy of the Montford Point Marines has been a largely hidden story and it is our responsibility to amplify the voices of these heroes while attempting to right a historic wrong,\u201d Porsha Grant, ABC\u2019s Race and Culture executive producer, said in a release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe hope this news special will encourage the audience to not only embrace the Marines\u2019 contributions but also to be inspired by the strength it took to serve and love a nation that did not always love them back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The episode will be available beginning Sept. 20 via ABC-owned stations and most streaming platforms, including Apple TV, Hulu, Prime Video and Roku.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watch the trailer below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n