Marine veteran will be honored for his service

Matthew Hartman, 92, of Morgan City will be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal Saturday for being among the first African-American Marine Corps members while serving as a Montford Point Marine.
The Montford Point Marines Association Granville Alexander Chapter No. 7 of New Orleans will present the medal to Hartman at 10 a.m. Saturday at Ephesian Baptist Church, located at 527 Bowman St. in Morgan City.
According to the National Montford Point Marine Association website, in 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt first gave African-Americans the opportunity to be recruited into the Marine Corps.
At the time, African-American Marines were segregated, going through basic training at Montford Point, a facility at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, according to the website. About 20,000 African-American Marines received basic training at Montford Point between 1942 and 1949, the website stated.
According to a news release from the Granville Alexander Chapter, in July of 1948, President Harry Truman issued an executive order negating segregation and in September 1949, Montford Point was deactivated ending seven years of segregation.
In 1974, Montford Point was renamed Camp Johnson after Sgt. Maj. Gilbert “Hashmark” Johnson, one of the first African Americans to join the Marine Corps and also one of the first African-American Marine drill instructors, the release stated.
The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian honor bestowed by Congress for distinguished achievement, the release stated. On Nov. 23, 2011, President Barack Obama signed into law legislation to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the Montford Point Marines November 2011, the release stated.
This award recognizes the Montford Point Marines’ contributions to the Marine Corps and the United States of America, the release said.