One of the first Black men to join US Marine Corps honored by Va. leaders on his birthday
Written by Black Hot Fire Network on February 6, 2025
PRINCE WILLIAMS COUNTY, Va. — Retired Master Gunnery Sergeant Carroll Braxton is walking, talking, Black history.
Born in 1924 in Manassas, Virginia, Braxton was one of the first Black U.S. Marines. He enlisted in 1943 after President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order allowing people of all races to join the military. The U.S. was preparing to enter World War II and needed recruits. Braxton trained at the segregated Camp Montford Point in North Carolina, facing prejudice but helping break racial barriers within the Marines.
After boot camp, Braxton served as a Marine . . .
