Charleston South Carolina area US Marine to be Honored with Congressional Gold Medal

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Oct. 12, 2023 - PRLog -- The National Montford Point Marine Association Chapter 47 will present the Congressional Gold Medal posthumously to the family of Montford Point Marine, Walter Harper, Jr. during their inaugural Banquet on Saturday, October 28, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. at the Citadel's Buyer Auditorium – Mark Clark Hall, 171 Moultrie Street, Charleston, SC 29409. The banquet theme is "The Right to Fight."

The Congressional Gold Medal. The medal, bestowed by Congress is one of the highest civilian awards in the United States.

On November 23, 2011, President Barack Obama signed into law the legislation to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the Montford Point Marines. This award recognizes Montford Point Marines' contributions to the Marine Corps and the United States of America from 1942 to 1949, during a time of hardship and segregation. Nearly 20,000 Marines were trained at Montford Point, North Carolina from 1942-1949. Every aspect of their training was segregated from their white counterparts. They were housed in prefabricated huts and railroad tracks separated white residents from the training camp. They were only permitted on the main base of Camp Lejeune if they were escorted by a white Marine.

President of the National Montford Point Marine Association Dr. James T. Averhart, Jr., CWO5 USMC Retired will deliver the keynote address.

Special guests in attendance will be Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg and Mrs. Sandy Tecklenburg.

The National Montford Point Marine Association Chapter 47 recently celebrated its one-year anniversary as it was chartered on August 26^th, Montford Point Marine Day, 2022 at the 57th National Convention held at the Montford Point Marines Museum, Building M101, Camp Johnson, North Carolina.

Who are the Montford Point Marines?
The Montford Point Marines were the first African Americans to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps after President Franklin Roosevelt issued an Executive Order establishing the Fair Employment Practices Commission in June 1941. The recruits trained at Camp Montford Point in Jacksonville, NC from August 26, 1942, until the camp was decommissioned on September 9, 1949.

The mission of the National Montford Point Marine Association Chapter 47

-Serving our veterans and community
-Supporting education through scholarship
-Preserving the legacy of the Montford Point Marine

Ticket sales have ended for this event. Visit the MPMA Charleston Chapter 47 on the web (https://mpma47.org/) and on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085508479314).

Learn more about National MPMA and membership on the website at https://montfordpointmarines.org/.