 The Montfort Point Marines have long been embedded in the concrete of Marine Corps history. The recognition they deserve for their sacrifices, though, has been a long time coming. The Corps' first black enlistees, known as the Montfort Point Marines, faced years of racial bigotry and segregation during their enlistments. But, like all Marines, they overcame, proving themselves on both the battlefield and later in their civilian lives. Retired First Sergeant William McDowell is one of thousands who trained at the small, segregated North Carolina camp. I never saw so many raggedy, crazy, sweaty people in all my life in one spot. It was controlled mayhem. Seventy years after the first black recruit passed through the gates of Montfort Point, McDowell is accepting the Congressional Gold Medal on behalf of almost 19,000 Marines who trained there between 1942 and 1949. It's awesome. I never expected in my lifetime for anything like this to happen. About 400 of the Montfort Point Marines made the trip to attend the ceremony in Washington, D.C., bringing long due recognition to true trailblazers of civil rights and equality. These giants, the few, the proud, the Montfort Point Marines. From Washington, I'm Lance Corporal John Tupper.