I was drafted while still in high school in 1943 and was in the second wave of recruits at Montford Point. The training was very hard, you were always on-call. We marched everywhere we went...to eat, to church and we weren't considered Marines at that point. They blow your mind and break you down. I was the captain of our football team in high school and thought I was kind of special, but they let you know you weren't until you finished your training.

It was all black personnel in the 4th Ammuniton Company, but our commanding officer was white. Our first deployment overseas was to Guadalcanal arriving after it was secured to set up an ammo dump. It was the first time we'd seen any other people in a long time.

The possibility of a Japanese attack on the ship bothered me more than anything else. Even though it was segregated on board, it went fine. We drilled a lot, exercised and cleaned equipment, especially our rifles.

Then we went to Guam arriving a day or two after the actual invasion to set up the ammo dump. Unloading the ships, take it to the dump and go back to the ship for more ammunition. We were constantly on guard and I never actually encountered any Japanese, but they hid well. We stayed on Guam until the atomic bomb was dropped and they were were sent back to the U.S. where I was discharged on Christmas day in 1945.

I came back to Raleigh and finished high school then entered Shaw University and graduated with a degree in Social Studies.