ANNAPOLIS, Md. — As part of our commitment to telling the story of our veterans, we bring you the story of World War II veteran Claude David, one of the first African American marines.
David was honored on Tuesday at the Maryland State House.
He joined the marines in 1942 as a Montford Pointer, a segregated corps made up of the first group of Black soldiers to ever join the marine corp.
Claude says he didn't know the marines were segregated before he joined, but it didn't stop him from serving he country and only fueled his life long fight for equality.
"I didn't realize I was fighting two wars. Fight the Japanese empire and at the same time fighting at home to get equal right," David said. "Today is better than yesterday, but tomorrow will be better than today. We've come a long way."
Claude's service with the Montford Pointers also earned him a congressional gold medal.