Camp_Gilbert_H._Johnson

Camp Gilbert H. Johnson

Camp Gilbert H. Johnson is a satellite camp of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and home to the Marine Corps Combat Service Support Schools (MCCSSS). This is where various support Military Occupational Specialties such as administration, supply, logistics, finance, and motor transport maintenance are trained. Camp Johnson is situated on Montford Point, the site of recruit training for the first African-Americans to serve in the Marine Corps, known as "Montford Point Marines."

Mission

Conduct formal resident training for officers and enlisted personnel in the occupational fields of Logistics, Motor Transport, Personnel Administration, Supply, Fiscal Accounting and Disbursing, as well as to conduct Instructional Management and Combat Water Survival Swim training. The Commanding Officer of MCCSSS also serves as the Area Commander, Camp Johnson and provides administrative support to various tenant commands.

History

When Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 8802 blacks were, for the first time, permitted to join the Marine Corps. Between 1942 and 1949, the camp at Montford Point was a recruit depot for black recruits, training 20,000 African-Americans during that period. In 1948 Executive Order 9981 ordered the military to integrate. In 1974, Montford Point was renamed Camp Gilbert H. Johnson in honor of the late Sergeant Major Gilbert H. "Hashmark" Johnson. Johnson was one of the first African Americans to join the Marine Corps. He was a Montford Point drill instructor and served during World War II and the Korean War. Camp Johnson became the home of the Marine Corps Combat Service Support Schools.

In 2007, a documentary entitled "The Montford Point Marine Project" was released, honoring the black Marines who trained at Montford Point.

Other

Outside the gate of Camp Johnson stands a solemn tribute to Marines and Sailors who gave their lives trying to keep the peace in the Middle Eastern country of Lebanon. The Beirut Memorial is the site of an annual commemoration of the October 1983 Beirut barracks bombing. 241 Marines, sailors and soldiers were killed in the blast.

This area is also home to a "9 11" memorial, and soon to come a Vietnam memorial. The "9 11" memorial features a beam salvaged from the tower wreckage. The memorial area is well maintained and is used for many ceremonies, from Promotions to retirements.

Directly across the street is the North Carolina Veterans Cemetery. This cemetery is the resting place to many of Marine veterans. There are often funerals with "Military Honors" done on site. Funeral Details are provided by the personnel of MCCSSS, Camp Johnson and neighboring units.