MONTFORD POINT MARINES & MCL 260
Marines don’t have a problem feeling good about themselves, bountiful mottoes keep them prompted. Greensboro’s
Joseph G. ‘Joe’ Dungee has reason to feel even better – he is a Montford Point Marine.
When Dungee enlisted in 1946, the Marine Corps was segregated. White Marines went to boot camp at Parris Island,
SC, African-American Marines went to boot camp at Montford Point, NC. From 1942 through 1949, Montford Point,
located just outside Camp Lejeune, trained over 20,000 Marines. Per Dungee, “I’ve always felt special to be called a
Marine, but to be called a Montford Point Marine is extra special!”
From a family of four boys and four girls, the son of a mill worker with his crisp 1946 Dudley High School diploma in hand,
Dungee was undecided about a career. He decided to join the
Army. “I found out quickly, the Army wasn’t taking anybody, but
the Marines took me right in.”
After boot camp, Dungee went to an all-African-American motor
transport unit at Guam’s Camp Witek. From Guam, he came to
Camp Pendleton, CA and later served in a Guard Detachment at
Treasure Island, in San Francisco Bay.
Even though there were just over 1500 African-American Marines
as late as 1949, manpower needs brought on by the Korean War
served as a defacto de-segregator for the Marine Corps.
JOE DUNGEE, 2010
(PHOTO BY HARRY THETFORD)
Corporal Joe Dungee made all the requisite Marine Corps combat
stops in Korea. Asked if it was as cold as I had heard, Dungee
replied, “You tell me if it was cold -- we cranked our trucks every
thirty minutes, night and day, to keep the engines from freezing.”
Dungee was too kind to reply when I inquired if that interfered with
his sleeping patterns.
Five Korean War battle stars later, and safely back in the states, Dungee decided to make a career of the Marine Corps, “I
shipped over for six more years!”
Several interesting tours came Dungee’s Marine Corps way. “I served two years as military policeman at Lakehurst Naval
Air Station in NJ. That was home for the Navy Blimps. They were always having air shows there, I loved it!” Later, he
moved to the Rifle Range Detachment at Camp Lejeune, where he served as marksmanship instructor for the M-1 rifle
and .45 caliber pistol.
Dungee returned to Montford Point later in his career as motor transport school instructor. In 1966, Dungee received his
honorable discharge as a Staff Sargeant, and retired with twenty years of honorable service as a Marine. Dungee is
justifiably proud of the five stars for his good conduct ribbon. The good conduct ribbon represents three years of
exemplary service -- each star represents subsequent awards.
Affter military retirement, Dungee drove a city bus for twenty years
and retired from Duke Power in 1986.
He is a founding member of the Greensboro Detachment of the
Marine Corps League, and served several years as commandant.
This picture shows Joe Dungee, along with other founding
members of MCL-260 Greensboro, Bill Moss and Ginny Bull at the
September 2012 Meeting commemorating our 40th anniversary.
Dungee had open heart surgery in 2006, from which he has
recovered nicely. He and his wife, Barbara, are members of
Metropolitan United Methodist Church. He exercises three days a
week and, “Sometimes I golf seven days a week!”
His disarming demeanor remains happy, mild, meek, and quiet.
That could change if you call him an ex-Marine. “I’m a Marine who
no longer wears the uniform,” insists Dungee.
MONTFORD POINT MARINES & MCL 260
MCL260 shares a connection to another Montford Point Marine!
Marine Xavier ‘XL’ Beard provides the following information about his father, Robert B. Beard.
Montford Point was established in the early part of 1942. Robert Beard ran away from home at
sixteen and joined the Marines in December 1942. By the time his father located him, Robert was in
the Solomon Islands with the First Marine Depot Company. Beard served in several combat actions.
His primary duties were moving supplies from ships to the front lines.
After his discharge from the Marines in 1946, Beard worked various civilian jobs for a few years, then
re-entered the service -- this time with the Army Air Corps. Later, he joined the Army. He eventually
earned his military retirement in 1965.
Robert is still pretty closed mouth about his experiences, but insists, “It was hot as hell, most
everyone suffered jungle rot, and the insects were terrible!” Beard’s Marine Corps tour of duty started
on Guadalcanal and ended on Okinawa.
Per XL, “When I joined the Marines in 1965, I had no idea my father was ever in the Marine Corps!
He never talked much about his time in the South Pacific. Years later, my mother mentioned my
father was a Marine during WW II.”
The pictures below are from the 26Jun2012 ceremony in Washington, DC, honoring the Montford
Point Marines.