NC Vet Gets Top US Civilian Award For Facing Enemy, Racism

A North Carolina veteran has received the highest civilian honor awarded by the U.S. government in recognition for his Marine Corps service at a time of segregation.

The Rocky Mount Telegram reports that 93-year-old Allen Seth Johnson received the Congressional Gold Medal on Saturday as a surviving Montford Point Marine. 

The outfit served during World War II and through the rest of the 1940s. This was at a time when black Marines were trained separately at a camp next to North Carolina's Camp Lejeune called Montford Point.

Johnson and the other Marines faced harsh racism in broader American society even as they were breaking down barriers in the military.

The 93-year-old Johnson choked up with tears after receiving his medal and award plaque, thanking supporters at the ceremony in Nashville.