(Washington, DC) Congresswoman Corrine Brown was elated upon passing her bill with strong bipartisan support (HR 2447), granting the Congressional Gold Medal to the Montford Point Marines today on the House floor.
“As a key Member of the Congressional Black Caucus and House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, I am thrilled to see this piece of legislation finally come to fruition. I worked extraordinarily hard with Financial Services Chairman Spencer Baucus (AL-6), Congressman Ander Crenshaw (FL-4), Congressman Allen West (FL-22), as well as Congressman Barney Frank (MA-4), and Congressman Sanford Bishop (GA-2) to obtain the necessary support of Members on both sides of the aisle to move this Resolution forward. H.R. 2447 is an extremely important measure that honors the first black Marines with long overdue deserved recognition,” said the Congresswoman.
General James F. Amos, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, a strong supporter of the Montford Point Marines, said that ‘this Resolution is of extreme importance to all Marines today.’ “Certainly,” continued Congresswoman Brown, “it is necessary to honor all of America’s war heroes’ selfless service and sacrifice, and in particular, those who served at Montford Point, who are about to be officially recognized as a rich legacy of our Marine Corps. They answered our nation's call at a time when our society was deeply divided along racial lines. As such, many of their contributions went unrecognized and many times they were not given the respect and recognition they deserved as Marines, as Americans, and as patriots. To correct this past injustice, I introduced this Resolution on their behalf, and wholeheartedly believe that it is my duty as a legislator to confer the Congressional Gold Medal on the Montford Point Marines for their Service to the United States, from WWII to the Vietnam era. This is a proud victory for the Montford Point Marines, as this Gold Medal will forever anchor their role in the history of our nation’s great military.”