The Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon performs at the

The Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon performs at the Montford Point Marine Association's 46th Annual National Convention in Atlanta, July 30. Gen. James F. Amos, Commandant of the Marine Corps, was the guest speaker at the gala event. In addition to speaking on the impact Montford Point Marines have had on the legacy of the Marine Corps, Amos also spoke about current diversity initiatives within the officer and enlisted ranks. In 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 8802, which opened the door for African Americans to serve in the military by prohibiting racial discrimination in the DOD. From 1942 to 1949, approximately 20,000 men graduated from Montford Point, a Marine Corps installation dedicated to training the first modern-day African American Marines. Many of these Marines went on to serve in the Pacific theater during World War II.