SoCal Marine who paved way for Black enlistees posthumously honored with Congressional Gold Medal
TEMESCAL VALLEY, Calif. (KABC) -- A Southern California man who was one of the first African Americans to join the U.S. Marine Corps has been posthumously honored with a Congressional Gold Medal.
The Montford Point Marines of Los Angeles presented Cpl. Hezekiah Simms with the nation's highest medal of valor in combat last week in a Temescal Valley ceremony.
The nonprofit military veterans organization was founded to memorialize the legacy of the first African Americans to serve as Marines at a time where they faced racial discrimination during America's toughest battles.
"I was a daddy's girl, and today meant so much to me, so much that my father received the recognition that he has long deserved," Simms' daughter Bonita Carter said.
Simms was one of the first members to train at the segregated Montford Point Camp and one of the first of roughly 20,000 African Americans to enlist in the Marine Corps, on the cusp of America's entry into World War II more than 80 years ago.
"I just want the world to know that not just my grandfather, but all of the men that served in the Montford Point Marines are a true inspiration to us all," said Simms' grandson Brandon Green, an L.A. County sheriff's deputy.
These Marines saw some of the heaviest combat on the war's bloodiest beaches, including the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
"They went through arduous training, they were some of the most qualified African Americans at their time. When they came in they were treated harshly but they survived," said Larry Johnson of the Montford Point Marine Association. "They allowed us young Marines to come in 20, 30, 40 years later to be able to serve in the Marine Corps and without them, we wouldn't be Marines."
"With all that they did, it makes you prove that no matter what you go through, if you believe in your country and you believe in yourself, you'll fight with honor," Simms' youngest daughter, Vanessa D. Simms Green, said.
