BLACK MARINES WERE CALLED STEVEDORES – THEN THEY STORMED HELL'S ISLAND

They were told they weren't good enough to be Marines. They were called stevedores—dock workers, not warriors. But when the battle for Okinawa came, these men proved that courage has no color.

This is the untold story of the Montford Point Marines, the first African Americans to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps. From 1942 to 1945, over 20,000 Black men broke through 167 years of exclusion to earn the title Marine. They faced racism at home and on the battlefield, yet they fought on some of the Pacific War's bloodiest islands: Saipan, Peleliu, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa.

They were assigned to ammunition and depot companies—supply roles meant to keep them away from combat. But war doesn't respect boundaries. These Marines found themselves under fire, delivering ammunition to the front lines, defending against banzai attacks, and proving their worth with every mission.

At Okinawa, 2,000 Black Marines stormed what troops called "Hell's Island" in the largest and deadliest battle of the Pacific Theater. For 82 days, they sustained the offensive that would open the path to Japan, all while being denied the recognition they had earned a hundred times over.

It took until 2012—67 years after the war ended—for these men to receive the Congressional Gold Medal. Most of them were already gone.

This is their story. This is American history that deserves to be remembered.

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