JACKSONVILLE, N.C. -- More than 75 years ago, the first 20,000 African-American Marines set foot on Montford point to serve our country.

• The Montford Point Marine Association honored their service during an annual ceremony Wednesday
• This year's ceremony also marked the completion of the $1.8M Montford Point Memorial in Jacksonville
• The Marine Corps was the last military branch to move from segregation to integration

On Wednesday, the Montford Point Marine Association honored their service during an annual ceremony at Lejeune Memorial Gardens.

The association awarded congressional gold medals to more than a dozen original Montford Pointers, both in person and posthumously.

This year's ceremony also marked the completion of the $1.8M Montford Point Memorial in Jacksonville.           

One original Montford Point Marine says the memorial serves as a symbol of positive change in the Marine Corps.

"I'm so proud that it shows the country as it was before we entered the Marine Corps, at the time we entered the Marine Corps, and how it is now and everything is uphill, this country has been changing so much for the better and I'm so proud of it," said Theodore Britton.

The Marine Corps was the last military branch to move from segregation to integration.