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Video by Rick Robinson

Fight for Right and Freedom

Communication Directorate

Jan. 6, 2023 | 4:21

Dr. Ozell Sutton was a United States Marine and Civil Rights activist who worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drafted in 1944 and serving in the Pacific during WWII, Dr. Sutton’s experiences in the Marine Corps inspired him to continue to fight for right and freedom for the rest of his life. He participated in the historic Civil Rights marches in Washington, D.C. in 1963 and from Selma to Montgomery in 1965, and he was present in Memphis, Tennessee when Dr. King was assassinated in 1968. In 2012, Dr. Sutton was presented with the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of his service as a Montford Point Marine. Through the efforts of Dr. King, Dr. Sutton, and the many thousands of Americans who stood alongside them in the Civil Rights Movement, we live today in a more free, just, and equitable society. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Rick Robinson)