A N.J. man was a decorated African American in the Marines. His trunk ended up in an estate sale in

How did a trunk that once belonged to a decorated Montford Point Marine from New Jersey who fought at Iwo Jima end up in Connecticut? The mystery has the family of Gilmon D. Brooks scratching their heads.

Ellanora Lerner, 17, of New London, Conn., knows little about the trunk except that an aunt purchased it several years ago at an estate sale in Connecticut and gave it to her about a year ago.

Brooks made history as a member of the Montford Point Marines, the all-black unit that integrated the Marine Corps after President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered the armed forces in 1941 to recruit African Americans. He served in three wars and received a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star.

https://www.inquirer.com/news/montford-point-marine-gilmon-brooks-trunk-iwo-jima-nj-20200327.html