A Georgia man who served among the first black U.S. Marines in a segregated military during World War II has died.
Angus Hardie "Jay" Jamerson died Tuesday at 89. His death was confirmed by his wife, Doris Jamerson.
Jamerson was a student at Morehouse College in Atlanta when he was drafted in 1945 and sent to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, where a segregated training area called Montford Point was established after President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered the Marine Corps to begin accepting blacks.
This April 19, 2016, photo shows Angus Hardie "Jay" Jamerson in Carrollton, Ga. Jamerson, one of the first men who integrated the United States Marine Corps during World War II and a recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal for this service, died Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017. He was 89. His death was confirmed by his wife, Doris Jamerson.
Photo Credit: Melaine Boyd/Times Georgian via AP
Jamerson of Villa Rica and other surviving Montford Point Marines were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal about four years ago for their often overlooked historic role.
Doris Jamerson says her husband wanted to serve his country and "had no idea of the significance of it at all."
