Nation's first black marines honored with monument in NC

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 27: Members of the Montford Point Marines attend a presentation ceremony of the Congressional Gold Medal at the Emancipation Hall of the Capitol Visitor's Center June 27, 2012 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The Montford Point Marines was recognized for being the nation's first African-American Marines who received basic training at Montford Point Camp, New River, N.C. from 1942 to 1949, and their services to the country. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

February 28, 2015 at 12:45 p.m. UTC

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. — The nation's first black Marines are being honored in North Carolina.

Hundreds of people gathered in Jacksonville Friday for the groundbreaking of a monument honoring the Montford Point Marines.

Twenty-thousand black recruits trained at Camp Montford Point from 1942 to 1949.

The camp was renamed Camp Johnson in 1974 in honor of Marine Sgt. Maj. Gilbert H. "Hashmark" Johnson, making it the only Marine Corps installation named after a black man.

In 2012, the Montford Point Marines received a Congressional Gold Medal from Congress.

The monument will be completed in two phases and will cost about $1.8 million.

An additional $914,200 is needed to complete the second phase of the project, the National Montford Point Marine Association said.