World War II resulted in a number of firsts and produced a number of Black war heroes of legends such as personal favorites Warren G.H Crecy and Vernon Baker. Technical sergeant Alfred Masters holds the distinction of being the first Black service member of the U.S. Marines.
Life
Born February 6, 1916, in Palestine, Texas—although some sources say El Paso—he married future politician Isabell Masters prior to enlisting. Together they had three daughters: Shirley Jean, Alfreda Dean, and Cora Lavonne Masters. Cora would later become Marion Barry’s fourth wife from 1994 to 2003.
In Isabell’s account, she and Masters were in a post office in Oklahoma City when a Marines recruit approached him and asked if he wanted to be the first Black Marine. The officer chose Alfred Masters after noticing his Langston University sweater. It’s unknown if he attended or graduated from the school.
Alfred Masters arrived in Oklahoma City months after the U.S. declared war and was sworn into the Marines on June 1, 1942. From there, he headed to Montford Point, North Carolina for training.
It is unknown if he saw combat during World War II but he managed to advance to Technical Sergeant. Following his service, he divorced Isabell Masters in the 1940s and married Mary Hendricks in 1949. Together they had five children: Mary Ann, Kathyrn Louise, Carolyn Donata, Otto Joe, and Alfred Dan Masters.
On June 16, 1975, Alfred Masters passed in Anthony, New Mexico. He now rests in El Paso’s Fort Bliss National Cemetery.
REFERENCE
–http://montfordpointmarinesandhonor.blogspot.com/2014/02/alfred-masters-becomes-first-black.html
6 Comments
My brother suggested I might like this web site. He was totally right.
This post truly made my day. You can not imagine just how much time I had spent for this information! Thanks!
Hi there! I could have sworn I’ve been to this blog before but
after browsing through some of the post I realized it’s new
to me. Anyways, I’m definitely happy I found it and I’ll be bookmarking and checking back often!
Barba Propecia Efectos Secundarios Direct On Line Stendra No Prior Script Visa Accepted Overseas Dove Comprare Cialis
isotretinoin website next day store by money order viagra vs cialis Achat Viagra Pfizer France Levitra Dosage En France
certainly like your website however you need to check the spelling on several of your posts.
A number of them are rife with spelling issues and I to find it very troublesome to tell the truth on the other hand I will surely come back again.
Keep on writing, great job!