Montford Marine shares story of perseverance in face of racism with Bensalem students

When retired Marine Col. John Church introduced a 92-year-old retired Marine to his Junior ROTC and other students at Bensalem High School on Friday, he called him one of a group of “true American heroes.”

“They are the Jackie Robinson of the Marine Corps,” he told the students, who listened attentively as Henry Wilcots recounted his story as one of the first black Marines.

The Marines trained at a camp called Montford Point, segregated from where white Marines trained at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. Montford Point was open from 1942 to 1949.