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Johnson enlisted in the 25th Infantry Regiment (United States), 25th Infantry Regiment in 1923, serving two three-year tours. At the end of his enlistment in October 1929, Johnson was discharged as a corporal#United States, corporal.
After four years of civilian life, he decided to join the United States Navy, U.S. Navy. In 1933, he enlisted in the Naval Reserve and was accepted into the Stewards Branch, the only job available to blacks at that time, where he served in the Navy for nearly 10 years. In May 1941, he entered the regular Navy. Johnson served aboard the USS Wyoming (BB-32), USS ''Wyoming'' at the time of the Attack on Pearl Harbor, bombing of Pearl Harbor. Reprinted in
The Barstow Log
', 1 February 2001 p.4 In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8802, requiring the Marine Corps to accept blacks and forbidding discrimination by military contractors. That year Johnson requested transfer from the U.S. Navy to the United States Marine Corps. Initially he and other African Americans served in segregated units. He went on to serve the last 17 years of his 32-year military career in the Marine Corps. He earned his nickname because during his initial Marine Corps training at Camp Gilbert H. Johnson, Montford Point, he wore three service stripes (hashmarks) on the sleeve of his uniform, indicating his previous enlistments in the Army and Navy. In 1943, Johnson was among the first black men to be trained as Marine drill instructors. In May 1943 at Montford Point, he replaced drill instructor First Sergeant Robert W. Colwell. As a member of the 3d Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion (Composite), 52d Defense Battalion, on Guam in World War II, Johnson asked that black Marines be assigned to combat patrols, from which they had been exempt. Once approved, he personally led 25 combat patrols. Edgar Huff, the only other black sergeant major besides Johnson to serve during World War II, was Johnson's brother-in-law. They were married to twin sisters.
Who's Who in Marine Corps History
Arlington National Cemetery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Gilbert 1905 births 1972 deaths United States Navy sailors United States Marine Corps non-commissioned officers United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II United States Marine Corps personnel of the Korean War People from Marshall County, Alabama Military personnel from Alabama Stillman College alumni Burials at Arlington National Cemetery African-American United States Navy personnel African Americans in World War II African Americans in the Korean War United States Army non-commissioned officers
Sergeant Major
Sergeant major is a senior Non-commissioned officer, non-commissioned Military rank, rank or appointment in many militaries around the world.
History
In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's ...
Gilbert "Hashmark" Johnson (October 30, 1905 – August 5, 1972) was one of the first African Americans
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa ...
to enlist in the United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...
and one of the first African American Drill instructor#U.S. Marine Corps, drill instructors in the Marine Corps. Johnson was known as “Hashmark” because he had more service stripes than rank stripes. He retired in 1959 after 32 years of service in the U.S. armed forces, including 17 years as a Marine.
Early years
Gilbert Johnson was born on October 30, 1905, to a farming family in rural Mount Hebron, Alabama, Mount Hebron, Alabama. He attended Stillman College in 1922, aspiring to become a minister of religion, minister, but he left college the following year to join the United States Army, U.S. Army.Military service
Johnson enlisted in the 25th Infantry Regiment (United States), 25th Infantry Regiment in 1923, serving two three-year tours. At the end of his enlistment in October 1929, Johnson was discharged as a corporal#United States, corporal.
After four years of civilian life, he decided to join the United States Navy, U.S. Navy. In 1933, he enlisted in the Naval Reserve and was accepted into the Stewards Branch, the only job available to blacks at that time, where he served in the Navy for nearly 10 years. In May 1941, he entered the regular Navy. Johnson served aboard the USS Wyoming (BB-32), USS ''Wyoming'' at the time of the Attack on Pearl Harbor, bombing of Pearl Harbor. Reprinted in The Barstow Log
', 1 February 2001 p.4 In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8802, requiring the Marine Corps to accept blacks and forbidding discrimination by military contractors. That year Johnson requested transfer from the U.S. Navy to the United States Marine Corps. Initially he and other African Americans served in segregated units. He went on to serve the last 17 years of his 32-year military career in the Marine Corps. He earned his nickname because during his initial Marine Corps training at Camp Gilbert H. Johnson, Montford Point, he wore three service stripes (hashmarks) on the sleeve of his uniform, indicating his previous enlistments in the Army and Navy. In 1943, Johnson was among the first black men to be trained as Marine drill instructors. In May 1943 at Montford Point, he replaced drill instructor First Sergeant Robert W. Colwell. As a member of the 3d Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion (Composite), 52d Defense Battalion, on Guam in World War II, Johnson asked that black Marines be assigned to combat patrols, from which they had been exempt. Once approved, he personally led 25 combat patrols. Edgar Huff, the only other black sergeant major besides Johnson to serve during World War II, was Johnson's brother-in-law. They were married to twin sisters.
Honors
Two years after Johnson died from a heart attack, the Montford Point facility at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, was renamed Camp Gilbert H. Johnson in his honor. It was the first military installation to be named after an African American.See also
*List of African-American firsts *Frederick C. Branch, the first African American officer in the Marine CorpsReferences
External links
Who's Who in Marine Corps History
Arlington National Cemetery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Gilbert 1905 births 1972 deaths United States Navy sailors United States Marine Corps non-commissioned officers United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II United States Marine Corps personnel of the Korean War People from Marshall County, Alabama Military personnel from Alabama Stillman College alumni Burials at Arlington National Cemetery African-American United States Navy personnel African Americans in World War II African Americans in the Korean War United States Army non-commissioned officers