"America... We Served!" : Three Centuries of African American Soldiers Black History Month program at the Old Barracks in Trenton Watch video
TRENTON - History was alive on Sunday at the Old Barracks in Trenton and there was no better example than WW II Veteran Marine Barry DeShong, age 91.
DeShong, a decorated veteran from Montclair, was a member of Monforte Point Marines, the first African Americans to serve the in Marine Corps following Franklin D. Roosevelt's Executive Order No. 8802 establishing the fair employment practice that began to erase discrimination in the Armed Forces.
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He was joined by historical reenactors representing African-American soldiers from America's infancy, through the Civil War all the way up to World War II sharing their knowledge and passion about African American military history.
Michael Mancuso may be reached at mmancuso@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @michaelmancuso Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.