Montford Point Marines' honor a long time coming Houston Chronicle Copyright 2012 Houston Chronicle. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Updated 07:37 p.m., Wednesday, June 27, 2012 WASHINGTON - The Montford Point Marines, the first group of black Marines who broke the color barrier in World War II, were honored at a ceremony Wednesday with Congressional Gold Medals, the highest civilian honor that Congress can bestow. The Marine Corps ended its 167-year ban on allowing African-Americans to serve when President Franklin D.