If she had to compare the Montford Point Marines to someone, National Montford Point Marine Association (NMPMA) President Carmen Cole would liken them to Rosa Parks, who made history in 1955 refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama bus. “Had she not done that, I would probably have never been afforded the opportunity to ride in the front of the many public transportation buses that I had to take to school and to work,” said Cole, a retired chief warrant officer 3. The Montford Point Marines enlisted and fulfilled draft duties to endure social, physical and mental hardships that helped pave the way for future Black Marines and the desegregation of the military.