Gilmon Brooks |
Gilmon Brooks [detail from video] | World War II, 1939-1946; Korean War, 1950-1955; Vietnam War, 1961-1975
Marine Corps
8th Marine Ammunition Company
Pacific Theater; Iwo Jima; also: Korea
Corporal; Chief Warrant Officer
Madison, WI
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Growing up in a military family on an Army base in Arizona, African American Gilmon
Brooks saw the value of serving his country in uniform from an early age. He volunteered
for the Marines during World War II, knowing he would be serving in a segregated unit.
On Iwo Jima, distinctions of race melted away in the fight for survival. Once Brooks saw
the U.S. flag raised on Mt. Surabachi, he mistakenly thought the island had been secured.
A few days later, an injury put him out of commission for the rest of the war, but he
decided to make a career in the Marines.
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