CAMP PENDLETON – Gunnery Sgt. Jessie Simmons fought back the tears that welled up in his eyes on Tuesday.
He took his seat next to Major Gen. Ronald Bailey, commander of the 1st Marine Division, knowing the sacrifice, the pain, all the struggle paid off.
In just a few minutes Bailey would drape a replica of a Congressional Gold Medal around Simmons’ neck, honoring him as an original Montford Marine.
“It means everything in the world to me,” the Santa Ana man said. “The Marine Corps is the best, I appreciate them in every respect. They made me a better person.”
Simmons, 88, was one of nine Montford Point Marines awarded with a replica of the medal in a ceremony at Camp Pendleton on Tuesday. The Congressional Gold Medal, the nation’s highest civilian award, was given to African American Marines who served in the Corps between 1942 and 1949 and were trained at Montford Point., near Jacksonville, N.C.
The medals presented were bronze replicas of Congressional Gold Medals. The ceremony conducted by Major Gen. Ronald Bailey, commander of the 1st Marine Division followed an earlier ceremony held at the Marine Barracks in Washington D.C on June 27. At that ceremony, more than 400 African-American Marines, many who served in World War II, were honored.
The Montford Point Marines were never recognized like other African American units such as the Tuskegee Airmen, black pilots who flew during World War II, or the Buffalo Soldiers.
“It’s an extreme honor for me to be asked,” said Bailey, who is also the first African American general to command the storied 1st Marine Division. “It’s an unbelievable expression of appreciation.”
When Bailey took over his command post at Camp Pendleton in June 2011, he called the moment historic — not only for himself but for the Montford Point Marines.
“They are not just inspirational to me but for a lot of Marines,” he said. “They were very patriotic and very dedicated to the Marine cause for the examples they set in perseverance and sacrifice even when they were treated unfairly. They created a legacy and our corps is proud of being the best war fighters.”
About 20,000 Montford Marines were trained at Montford Point, a segregated camp near Jacksonville, N.C. and Fort Le Jeune. Many served in support or guard units. In places such as Iwo Jima, the Montford Marines also evacuated wounded dead under heavy fire, Bailey said.
The original intent was to discharge the Marines after the war but many proved themselves as capable as all other Marines. In July 1949, President Harry Truman issued Executive Order 9981 negating segregation and in September 1949, Montford Point was deactivated ending seven years of segregation. The camp was renamed Camp Johnson after Sgt. Maj. Gilbert “Hashmark” Johnson, one of the first African Americans to join the Marine Corps.
Lowell Arnold, 86, from Inglewood, said coming from California as a young Marine in 1944 to Montford Point was like going to a different world.
“I’d heard the boot camp would be tough,” he said. “What I didn’t expect was the attitude of the civilians in Jacksonville to the African-Americans. Whites went into one door at the bus station and we had to go around to the other side. When and if they had a ticket someone would come over and see to us. I didn’t feel like that was anywhere near right. I was upset because I realized this was a different kind of America.”
Arnold, who served from 1944 -1945, and then re-enlisted in 1950 and served two tours in Korea and two tours in Vietnam, said his emotions are still not quite there.
“I feel like a lot of people deserved this honor,” he said. ” I’m accepting it for them as well as me. A lot of African-Americans were discharged dishonorably because they could not accept the type of brutality they received. So they were put into a mindset that led them to be discharged dishonorably. They should receive this better than me.”
For Simmon’s daughters, Angie Jacobs, 50, of Jacksonville, N.C. and Michelle Simmons, 43, of Tustin Ranch, the ceremony was especially rewarding. Simmons had married their mother, a white woman in 1968 in Washington D.C. because it would have been illegal for an interracial couple to marry in 1968 in North Carolina. He left the Marine Corps in 1946 but rejoined in 1951 and served until 1971.
“Growing up I saw him come home in uniform,” Jacobs said. “I heard him say he was in the Montford Point Association but I didn’t realize what it really was. When I heard he wasn’t even allowed to get a soda, I couldn’t believe it. We’re really proud of him. I feel like I’m getting it, too. It’s almost like the whole family is rewarded.”
Michelle Simmons said she didn’t realize what being a Montford Marine meant and what her father went through. She said her parents were friends with “Hashmark” Johnson but she never realized what that meant. She just knew “Hashmark” was a Marine like her father.
“He never talked about the prejudice, he just talked about the friends he made, the relationships and the camaraderie,” she said. “We didn’t know it was such a big deal. I started researching it a few years ago. I asked my mother questions and she told me about the prejudices. It was painful.”
Jessie Simmons, who grew up in Baton Rouge, said he decided to become a Marine when his best friend in high school joined up.
“They disciplined me and told me to tell right from wrong,” Jessie Simmons said. “I didn’t think of the racism thing at all. I wasn’t brought up that way. I wasn’t taught to hate people or to be ungrateful. I accepted what was being done and appreciated the Marine Corps.”
Contact the writer: 949-454-7307 or eritchie@ocregister.com or twitter.com/lagunaini
