Trailblazing African American Marines honored with Congressional Gold Medal in Oakland
Contact: Katherine Jolly, 510-763-0370
Oakland, CA – Today, the Office of Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-09) honored two former members of the Montford Point Marines, a group of African American servicemen who broke the last color barrier in the US Armed Forces. Sergeant Riley A. McCray (Oakland, CA) and Corporal Lynn L. Williams (Berkeley, CA) received Congressional Gold Medals in a ceremony officiated by the U.S. Marine Corps at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in Oakland on Friday, September 21, 2012.
Sergeant McCray and Corporal Williams were honored for their service in the Second World War as part of the Montford Point Marines – a segregated company of the Marine Corps established following a 1942 Presidential Directive to allow African Americans to serve as Marines. In the face of discrimination and adversity from the Marine Corps and countrymen, these men served their nation throughout the Pacific Theater along with some 20,000 others trained at Montford Point.
“Despite being denied many basic rights, the Montford Point Marines committed to serve our country with selfless patriotism. Choosing to put their lives on the line, these men helped advance civil rights and influenced President Harry Truman’s decision to desegregate the Armed Forces in 1948,” wrote President Barack Obama in a letter to the honorees. “Embodying the Marine Corps motto of Semper Fidelis, Always Faithful, the heroes paved the way for future generations of warriors, regardless of background, to serve in the finest military the world has ever known.”
“It give me great pleasure to finally publicly honor the service of East Bay’s own Montford Point Marine heroes,” said Congresswoman Barbara Lee. “Their selfless service reminds us of the contributions that so many African Americans have made to our great nation in the face of racism and discrimination and how far we have come as a country.”
United States Marine Corps Captain Caitlin Ferrarell officiated ceremony.
Montford Point Marine representative, Mr. William McDowell, accepted the Congressional Gold Medal on behalf of all Montford Point Marines in a ceremony in Emancipation Hall of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., on June 27.
###