Senate Resolution 43

A RESOLUTION HONORING THE LEGACY OF MARINE CORPORAL VONZIA J. RIGSBY OF JASPER COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI, THE OLDEST LIVING MONTFORD POINT MARINE, ON THE OCCASION OF HIS 100TH BIRTHDAY.

WHEREAS, Veteran Vonzia J. Rigsby, 100, became a Marine during a time when black and white Marines were still segregated; and

WHEREAS, calling on his duty to serve his country, Rigsby was one of many black Marines who served during World War II as Montford Point Marines. Because the Marine Corps was the last military branch to be integrated, black service members trained at Montford Point in Jacksonville, North Carolina, from August 1942 until the camp was decommissioned in September 1949. The largest number of black Marines to serve was at the seizure of Okinawa, with 2,000 seeing action. During World War II, more than 19,000 blacks served in the Marine Corps; and

WHEREAS, the National Montford Point Marine Association was established in 1975 to honor blacks who served in the Marine Corps; and

WHEREAS, Naval Air Station Meridian hosted the Montford Point Association on October 21, 2019, for a ceremony to honor 98-year-old Vonzia James Rigby with the Congressional Gold Medal. Rigsby, a World War II veteran with honorable service as a United States Marine, was among the second enlistment of African-American Marines, as part of the 52nd Defense Battalion. His service, from November 25, 1943, to April 22, 1946, included duty in Honolulu and Nagasaki, Japan. He was honorably discharged as a Corporal; and

WHEREAS, Rigsby returned to Newton County and worked for Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad. He later completed technical school and worked as an auto body technician in a career of more than 50 years in Newton and Jasper Counties. Rigsby has been involved in Civil Rights efforts for several decades, and was among a local group of citizens who occupied the premises of the Decatur Courthouse to champion the right to vote in Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, Montford Point Marines were the first African-Americans to enlist in the United States Marine Corps after President Franklin Roosevelt issued an Executive Order establishing the Fair Employment Practices Commission in June 1941. The recruits trained at Camp Montford Point in Jacksonville, North Carolina, from August 1942 until the camp was decommissioned in September 1949; and

WHEREAS, Colonel Rigsby was a true American hero. Like all the other Montford Point Marines, he was a trailblazer who dared to be a Marine during a time when African Americans were excluded from the Marines. The story of the Montford Point Marines was a story of resilience and perseverance. Those Marines should not be forgotten, and everyone should honor their sacrifice, and for this a grateful state thanks him for a life of selfless service and a legacy of a strong and free America:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby honor the legacy of Marine Corporal Vonzia J. Rigsby of Jasper County, Mississippi, the oldest living Montford Point Marine, extend the best wishes of the Senate on his 100th birthday, and extend to Mr. Rigsby and his family the thanks of a grateful state.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to Corporal Rigsby, forwarded to the National Montford Point Marine Association and NAS Meridian, and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.