2025 SESSION

ENROLLED

HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 560

Commending Master Gunnery Sergeant Carroll Braxton, USMC, Ret.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 3, 2025

WHEREAS, Master Gunnery Sergeant Carroll Braxton, USMC, Ret., who served the country with distinction during World War II as one of the first Black members of the United States Marine Corps, celebrated his 100th birthday in 2024; and

WHEREAS, born on July 14, 1924, Carroll Braxton grew up in Manassas and admired the United States Marines at nearby Quantico in his youth but was unable to enlist due to segregation in the military at the time; and

WHEREAS, after President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an executive order directing federal agencies and all branches of the military to accept recruits regardless of color, race, creed, or national origin, Carroll Braxton and several high school classmates volunteered for the United States Marine Corps in 1943; and

WHEREAS, Carroll Braxton reported for training at Camp Montford Point, a segregated facility in North Carolina that served as the primary recruit depot for Black Marines during and after World War II; and

WHEREAS, Carroll Braxton and the other recruits at Camp Montford Point endured prejudice and harsh conditions but ultimately broke down racial barriers and paved the way for future generations of Marines; and

WHEREAS, after completing his training, Carroll Braxton served as a drill instructor at Camp Montford Point, then deployed to the Pacific Theater of World War II and supported the Saipan, Peleliu, and Okinawa campaigns; and

WHEREAS, Carroll Braxton joined the United States Marine Corps Reserve after the end of World War II, then returned to active duty during the Korean War; he ultimately retired from the United States Marine Corps with 33 years of distinguished service; and

WHEREAS, in 2012, President Barack Obama awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to Carroll Braxton and the other Montford Point Marines in recognition of their historic contributions to the war effort; and

WHEREAS, Carroll Braxton also worked as a procurement analyst at the former Cameron Station Army Base in Alexandria, was a trusted leader in the community who played a crucial role in the formation of a local American Legion post, and was active with the congregation of First Baptist Church of Manassas for many years; and

WHEREAS, Carroll Braxton and his late wife, Celestine, earned a reputation for going above and beyond to help and support friends or neighbors in need and were highly admired as paragons of the community; in 2020, Prince William County Public Schools renamed Unity Braxton Middle School in their honor; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Master Gunnery Sergeant Carroll Braxton, USMC, Ret., hereby be commended on the occasion of his 100th birthday; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Master Gunnery Sergeant Carroll Braxton, USMC, Ret., as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for his legacy of service to the Commonwealth and the nation.