United States Marine Corps 51st Defense Battalion
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HISTORICAL NOTE
Headquarters and Services Battery of the 51st Composite Defense Battalion was commissioned 18 August 1942, at the Montford Point Camp near MCB Camp Lejeune, NC and was the first black American unit in the Marine Corps. On 7 June 1943, the battalion was reorganized and renamed the 51st Defense Battalion. The 51st Defense Battalion departed Montford Point on 20 January 1944 for MCB San Diego CA and then on 11 February 1944 the Battalion sailed for Funafuti, Ellice Islands arriving on 27 February 1944. On 8 September 1944, the battalion departed the Funafuti atoll bound for the Eniwetok Atoll. The detachment on Kwajalein departed for Pearl Harbor on 21 November 1945 while the main body on Eniwetok departed on 22 November 1945 bound for San Diego, CA. The 51st returned to the US in late November 1945 arriving back at Montford Point on 26 December 1945. The majority of the battalion was immediately placed on leave and on 31 January 1946, the 51st Defense Battalion was officially decommissioned.
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1944-04-24 |
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Censored Marines mail |
At Funafuti, Ellice Islands. From the Greg Ciesielski collection.
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