MACON, Ga. — A Montford Point Marine was awarded the congressional gold medal. His family got together to explain why he's a hero.
"From the stuff, he told me he went through in service, he deserved it."
Elnora Carswell is the wife of Private First Class George M. Carswell.
He served as a Montford Point Marine and was one of the first African-Americans to serve in the Marines.
They trained at a segregated facility in North Carolina. Now, his son Henderson Carswell could only imagine what his father went through.
"He went into the military at a time when it was very difficult," Henderson said. "When they were talking about integrating people in the service who they might not have necessarily wanted to have there, so I imagine the training was probably tougher."
Carswell's history and pioneering military service impacted his children leading, and many of them -- like Henderson -- to enlist.
Henderson is now a pastor and a Colonel with the Bibb County Sheriff's Office.
The Congressional Gold Medal was presented to the family during a ceremony at their family church, Mount Lebanon Baptist Church.
Carswell's only daughter, Patrice, was grateful to those who celebrated her father.
"We never even thought any of this was possible. He's just always been our hero," Patrice said. "To hear that other people wanted to recognize him... It makes us feel just humble because they didn't have to."
There were other challenges during his service as he became a father to a big family.
"I think the biggest challenge was when we tried to raise all these kids," Elnora said. "That was a real big challenge, so he just made sure that we had somewhere to stay, we had food to eat. He really worked all the time. He worked time and overtime."
Even though he was busy being a soldier, husband, and father, Pastor Henderson remembers Sundays differently.
"He worked a lot," Henderson said. "A lot of hours because he had a lot of kids. But on Sunday mornings, he'd wake up singing, shaving, getting ready to teach the under school and start the church service. I remember that most about him. He was happy on Sunday mornings."
The National Montford Point Marine Association presented the Carswell family with this award. This association works to find the men that served at Montford Point to award them their Congressional Gold Medals.
They still have nearly 17,000 Montford Point Marines to find and award.
To see the next presentation of the congressional gold medal, you can visit the Facebook page of Warner Robins Chapter 35.
Membership in the National Montford Point Marine Association is open to active duty personnel and veterans of all military branches that served at least 90 days and have an honorable discharge.