Montford Point Marine Association The Montford Point Marine Association ( MPMA ) is a non - profit military veteran ' s organization , founded to memorialize the legacy of the first African Americans to serve in the United States Marine Corps . The first African American U . S . Marines were trained at Camp Montford Point , in Jacksonville , North Carolina , from 1942 to 1949 . The Association ' s stated creed is : To promote and preserve the strong bonds of friendship born from shared adversities and to devote ourselves to the furtherance of these accomplishments to ensure more peaceful times . The organization supports educational assistance programs , veterans programs , and community services , with an emphasis on improving the social conditions of the growing population of military veterans that is disabled or senior citizens . Membership in the nonprofit organization is open to veterans and active members of all branches of the U . S . Armed Forces regardless of race , creed , or national origin . The MPMA also hosts the MPMA Ladies Auxiliary . Membership in the Ladies Auxiliary is open to wives , daughters , sisters , and mothers of members or former members of the United States Armed Forces . History of Camp Montford Point . In 1940 while the United States prepared for war , millions of jobs in the defense industry were being created . Blacks seeking jobs in the growing defense industries , suffered violence and discrimination . Many black leaders , including A . Philip Randolph , president of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and the most widely known spokesperson for black working - class interests in the United States , met with Franklin D . Roosevelt and his administration to demand that he sign an executive order banning discrimination against black workers in the defense industry . Randolph threatened to bring tens of thousands of marchers to Washington , D . C . On June 25 , 1941 , days before the march was to occur , Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8802 , which barred government agencies and federal contractors from refusing employment in industries engaged in defense production on the basis of race , creed , color or national origin . It was the first Presidential decree issued on race since Reconstruction . The order required the armed services , including the United States Marine Corps , to recruit and enlist African Americans . Recruiting for the " Montford Marines " began on June 1 , 1942 . Thousands of African - American men , eager to serve , flocked to recruiting offices . The first black recruits received basic training at the segregated Camp Montford Point in Jacksonville , North Carolina . The quota of 1 , 200 men were housed in prefabricated huts . Racism continued in the Marines Corps after the issuance of Executive Order 9981 , reflecting that in the society . Railroad tracks divided white residents from the camp for African - American troops , and the black recruits were not allowed to enter the main base of nearby Camp Lejeune unless accompanied by a white Marine . By 1945 , all drill instructors and many NCOs at Montford Point were African Americans . Between 1942 and 1949 more than 20 , 000 men were trained at Montford Point . In July 1948 , despite strong opposition from Democrats of the segregated South , President Harry S . Truman signed Executive Order 9981 , which required the desegregation of the military . In 1949 Montford Point was deactivated , and new black recruits were sent to Parris Island and Camp Pendleton . During the Korean War , the United States Marine Corps fully integrated . In 1965 , a reunion of Marines was held in Philadelphia which included former Montford Point Marines along with Marines on active duty . With more than 400 Marines from throughout the United States gathered , they decided to establish the Montford Point Marine Association as a nonprofit veterans organization , to preserve military history and help people in need . The Association has many chapters , and is a member of the Marine Corps Council , a council of Marine - related service groups . The Montford Point Marine Association maintains a National Museum at Camp Gilbert H . Johnson , Jacksonville , North Carolina , and archives . It holds an annual convention to celebrate the Montford Point Marines , make organizational decisions , and distribute scholarships .