One of the last Montford Point Marines: the unique Legacy of an African-American Veteran, from World War II to Vietnam

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To celebrate Black History Month 2017, NCA is pleased to share the legacy of Mr. Allen Newton Frazier. Like so many African-Americans of his generation, he lived through a radical transition of the Armed Forces, from segregated to integrated. Frazier is also unique because he started his service with the Merchant Marine, in which he proudly served during World War II, but chose the Merchant Marine because he was not permitted in the Navy.

As the post-War military began to downsize, many Americans returned to civilian life, but Frazier simply chose to continue serving: he enlisted in the Marine Corps and was part of the Montford Point Marines. Collectively, the Montford Point Marines received a Congressional Gold Medal in 2012. Frazier was able to share in that belated honor after his service.

Please enjoy NCA intern Maari Weiss’s research into the Veteran legacy of Frazier.

Allen Newton Frazier turned service into a career. As an African-American Marine, he experienced the Armed Forces both before and after integration, and, though he faced some discrimination, he “enjoy[ed]” his work and found it to be “rewarding.” After moving to Washington, DC to live in the Armed Forces Retirement Home in 2004, Frazier wrote a memoir describing both his life and his service.

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Frazier’s father, taken circa 1910.

Frazier was born and raised in Montclair, New Jersey. He grew up in a home in which visitors “were from different or mixed racial backgrounds. At the time [he] thought this was the way the whole

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