A black Marine's long fight for freedom (WWII vet, among first black Marines)
Chip Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle, 7/20/12
It's been more than 60 years since Wortham Fears became one of the first black men to serve in the United States Marine Corps.
But it wasn't until last month that the Oakland resident has been willing to speak proudly of his military service to his country during World War II.
In June, Fears was among 400 surviving members of the Montford Point Marines to receive the Congressional Gold Medal, the nation's highest civilian award, for helping break the color barrier in the U.S. armed services.
"Before we were recognized, I was not free," said Fears, a pastor in East Oakland and a humble, pious man who's never had an alcoholic drink. "I was humiliated."
full: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/johnson/article/A-black-Marine-s-long-fight-for-freedom-3721432.php
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