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Description
Oral history interview with Charles Foreman. Interview conducted by John Grande in Orlando, Florida on August 8, 2017.
Log
0:23 Birthplace, parents occupation; 1:06 Childhood, education; 2:30 Year he entered the service, education continued and segregation; 5:49 National Youth Administration, enlisted before being drafted; 7:07 Why the Marine Corps, recruiters false information; 9:28 Camp Lejeune aka Montford Point Camp, recruit training; 11:07 Boot camp length, first black Marines to graduate, commander's words; 13:07 Assigned to Headquarters and Service Company, becoming a clerk; 15:20 Field training while doing administration work; 16:25 Camp growing, troops getting assigned duties; 17:22 War in the Pacific getting fiercer, first replacement battalion; 19:57 Shipping out to Camp Pendleton, in charge of a hundred men; 21:07 Segregation even in uniform, sea-bag; 23:35 Arriving in San Diego and barracks, no barracks in Montford Point; 24:45 Keeping warm at night, being shipped over seas; 26:30 Announcement at sea about Japanese Submarines, Hawaii; 28:28 Staying entertained, staying in contact with family; 29:46 Segregated ship, an all-black unit, promotion difficulties; 32:45 Time in Hawaii, acting as a First Sergeant while a clerk, unhappy group; 34:35 Doing duty regardless, went to school for speed reading and studying law; 35:53 Reenlistment and lack of information; 37:00 Last day in the service, treated differently since first group; 39:11 Truman's order desegregating the service, would he reenlist? 40:11 Medals earned and Congressional Gold Medal, highest rank; 41:25 After the Marine Corps, not informed properly; 42:45 Segregated housing under G.I. Bill, becoming a real estate broker; 46:45 Limited jobs, getting repossessed homes to sell to anybody; 48:22 Went to business for himself, putting black families in white neighborhoods; 49:36 Making friends with Catholic Priest; 51:17 Lessons from Drill Instructors implemented in life, staying in contact; 52:45 Civil Rights Movement in his own way, friend he stayed in contact with; 55:22 Doing things differently if he could; 56:35 Congressional Gold Medal, others treated worse than him; 59:05 Ammunition Depot Company dangerous job; 1:00:12 Officers praising black Marines, speech from graduating by general; 1:02:30 Colonel Sam Woods and the Alabama Blue story; 1:11:18 Riot a week before he got to Camp Pendleton, white and blacks together; 1:12:36 One of the lucky ones and doing it over, being a Marine; End of Interview.
Date of Birth
1924-03-15
Place of Birth
Wilmington (Del.)
Gender
Male
Race
Black or African American
Home State
Delaware
War or Conflict
World War II
Status
Veteran
Begin/End date of Service - 1st
1942-09-28
Type
Video; MovingImage
1947-09-28
Entrance into Service
Enlisted
Branch of Service
U.S. Marines
Unit of Service
51st Defense Battalion; Headquarters Service Battalion Camp Lejeune; 1st Colored Replacement Battalion
Location of Service
Camp Lejeune (N.C.); Camp Catlin (Hawaii)
Highest Rank
Sergeant; Sgt
Prisoner of War
No
Service Related Injury
No
Battles
None
Medals
Good Conduct Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal; Congressional Gold Medal
Achievements
"Did the work/billet of a SgtMaj or 1st Sgt. Part of 1st Colored Replacement Battalion (all black corpsmen & black Marines)." -- The veteran.
Note
The veteran received his Congressional Gold Medal for his service as a Montford Point Marine.
City of Birth
Wilmington
Country of Birth
United States
Interviewer
Grande, John
Interview Date
Fall 8-8-2017
Location of Interview
Orlando, FL.
Subjects
Foreman, Charles; World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives; United States. Marines
Collection Description
Contains logs, audio and video recordings of interviews with Central Florida's veterans as part of a history class project for the students at the University of Central Florida (UCF). The UCF Community Veterans History Project(CVHP) started in fall 2010. It collects, preserves, and makes accessible to the public the experiences of Central Florida's veterans so that future generations will better understand the realities of conflict. It is a collaborative endeavor supported by multiple departments and offices at UCF. The veterans' histories are archived and made digitally available through the UCF library and selected materials are contributed to the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress.
Transcript
Available
Contributor Affiliation / Organization
RICHES; University of Central Florida
Contributors
Grande, John
Length of Interview
75 Minutes
Publisher
Department of History, University of Central Florida
Type
video
Rights
All rights are held by the respective holding institution. This material is posted publicly for non-profit educational uses, excluding printed publication. For permission to reproduce and/or for copyright information contact Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, (407) 823-2576. http://library.ucf.edu/about/departments/special-collections-university-archives/
Repository
University of Central Florida Libraries, Special Collections & University Archives
Contributing Project
UCF Community Veterans History Project
Document Type
Interview
Semester
Summer
Recommended Citation
Central Florida, RICHES of, "Forman, Charles interview" (2017). Veterans Oral Histories. 549.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/veteransoralhistories/549