My Grandfather, a Montford Point Marine

One of the most common records among men who were born in the 1900’s is the military draft card. It probably was one of the earliest records I found for my paternal grandfather, Herbert Joel Susberry. According to my memory of conversations with him, he had mentioned casually that he had served as a marine somewhere near Hawaii doing accounting work. I found some muster rolls where his name was written and confirmed that he was, indeed, a marine, but I didn’t take the time to really delve into his experiences until many years later when my cousin Victoria told me that his service to our country was quite significant. He had trained at Montford Point.

After some cursory research, I learned that my grandfather’s training at Montford Point was significant because it resulted from Executive Order 8802, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941, which prohibited racial discrimination in the defense industry and government. This forced the United States Marine Corps (USMC), as of yet restricting its ranks to Whites only, to recruit African-Americans. The first black marines began enlisting in June 1942, and they reported to Montford Point, the facility where, because of segregation, black marines trained before serving in World War II. Montford Point was next to Camp LeJeune in North Carolina, but the environmental conditions there were substandard, and the men who trained there were subjected to discrimination even as they underwent the intense and exemplary training for which the United States Marine Corps is renowned.

I wanted to know more, so, in 2020, I contacted the president of the National Montford Point Marines Association, Inc. (NMPMA) at the time, Master Gunnery Sergeant Joe Geeter. He sent me more information about the Montford Point Marines and gave me instructions for having my grandfather recognized for his contributions. To get started, I needed to order my grandfather’s service record. Unfortunately, our correspondence happened in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to my personal discombobulation and national restrictions (e.g., times for processing requests for military service records were delayed due to backlog), my motivation waned. In the fall of 2023, however, I renewed my efforts to facilitate my grandfather’s recognition as a Montford Pointer so that he could receive the Congressional Gold Medal.

After finding a local discharge record, inspecting relevant muster rolls, and reviewing his service documents, I soon discovered that my grandfather, Herbert Joel Susberry, was inducted on November 06, 1943, as one of the first group of African-Americans to become a member of the United States Marine Corps. He trained at Montford Point Camp and served in the Pacific Theater during World War II as a bookkeeper in the 52nd Defense Battalion. He was honorably discharged on May 22, 1946. HJ, as he was known in the greater Houston area, was an esteemed graduate of Texas Southern University, founder of Texas Southern Insurance Agency, president of the Houston Area Urban League, leader at Metropolitan CME church, and member of Heights Lodge# 280, Free & Accepted Masons. He was the husband of Lucille and father of Sederick and Herbert Keith. Upon his death on October 11, 2008, he left a wonderful legacy for his six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

As a result of my research and, in collaboration with Sergeant Geeter and the National Montford Point Marines Association, Inc. (NMPMA) National Chaplain and Houston Chapter President, Dr. Nathaniel Broussard, Herbert Joel Susberry was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for his pioneering service.

The ceremony was hosted by the NMPMA Houston Chapter and held at the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum on February 02, 2025. Seeing my uncle, H. Keith Susberry, receive this honor on my grandfather’s behalf, was the perfect way to start the observation of Black History Month. It was also wonderful to commune with others around the notable achievements of the Montford Point Marines in American history. Please stay tuned for information on an article I wrote about my grandfather and the Montford Pointers that will be published in an upcoming issue of the Texas State Genealogical Society’s journal, Stirpes. AND, If you have a relative who served the United States Marine Corps between 1942-1949, please contact cgm-info@montfordpointmarines.org.