Special Exhibit: Honoring African American Servicemen

Camp Gordon Johnston WWII Museum in Carrabelle presents a special exhibit to honor our country’s African-American Servicemen. This exhibit will open Tuesday, February 2 at 11 am and will be on display at the Museum until Saturday, February 27, 2021, at 5 pm.  There is no charge for admission, but donations are gladly accepted.

African Americans served in large numbers during WWII despite being denied full rights as American citizens. African Americans served in segregated units in both the Army and the Army Air Corps, one of the most recognizable Tuskegee Airmen. Many trained at Camp Gordon Johnston in support units like Amphibious Truck Companies, and even these participated in combat, including at Iwo Jima, where 21 Army units supported the 4th and 5th Marines.

The Camp Gordon Johnston Museum is launching a campaign to find and preserve the African American men’s individual stories that trained at the Camp and the men and women from the Florida Panhandle that served in WWII. Through February (Feb 2-27), the Museum will display an expanded and updated exhibit of African American service in WWII and will include these stories as they are submitted.

Family members who know any stories of African American service members who trained or served at Camp Gordon Johnston are invited to please share them so that their stories can be included at Camp Gordon Johnston WWII Museum. The stories can be emailed to the archivist at archivist@campgordonjohnston.com. Photos and scanned documents are very welcome as well. If all that is known is a name, Camp Gordon Johnston Museum staff and volunteers will try and research it.

Camp Gordon Johnston WWII Museum is located in Carrabelle, directly across from Carrabelle Public Beach Park at 1873 Hwy 98 West. For more information, contact Camp Gordon Johnston Museum at (850) 697-8575 or museum@campgordonjohnston.com. Funded in part by the Franklin County Tourist Development Council.