Since the early 1990s, Miller has spearheaded successful efforts to create the Port Chicago memorial, and now the national park, in recognition of the historic and tragic events that occurred there. In 1992, Miller championed the original legislation that designated the site as a national memorial. Since that time, the memorial has been managed by the National Park Service.

“The National Park Service is the caretaker of some of the most important pieces of our history,” Miller said. “We now place the compelling and important history associated with Port Chicago firmly in their capable hands.

“Port Chicago is not just a place – it is a powerful story,” Miller added. “It is a story about courage, conflict, racial discrimination and the struggle to overturn it. It is the story of African American contributions to the homefront effort during WWII. It is a story that is important for generations of Americans to understand. Through the establishment of this new national park, we preserve that history and make it more accessible for people to appreciate — today and for generations to come.”

On July 17, 1944, an explosion ripped through the Port Chicago Naval Magazine, killing 320 sailors, the majority of whom were African American. After the explosion, African American sailors refused to resume loading munitions onto ships bound for the Pacific Theatre for fear of a subsequent explosion. Fifty of those sailors were tried for mutiny. The sailors received support from attorney Thurgood Marshall, who later went on to become a member the U.S. Supreme Court.

“The munitions detonation at Port Chicago, the so-called mutiny, and the subsequent legal cases are a significant part of our nation’s struggle for civil rights and rightly helped lead to the desegregation of the US Navy,” said Miller before the Saturday event. “I look forward to the celebration on Saturday and the reunion of families from across the country who have been directly touched by this powerful experience.”

Miller thanked the Friends of Port Chicago, the City of Concord, the East Bay Regional Park District and the National Parks Conservation Association for their support of the Port Chicago National Memorial.

The Friends of Port Chicago presented Miller with The Friends of Port Chicago National Memorial Commemorative Heroes Award. The award “salutes Congressman George Miller with deep appreciation and in recognition of his heroic leadership in creating America’s 392nd National Park so that the tragic events of July 17, 1944 will forever be remembered.”

Miller’s legislation to establish the Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial Park was signed into law by President Obama in October 2009. The legislation designated the memorial and the five acres that encompass the Port Chicago Naval Magazine blast site as an official unit of the National Park Service. Previously, the memorial was considered only an “affiliated area” of the park service and no federal money could be spent on education, historic preservation, or efforts to increase public awareness. This official designation granted allows the park service to appropriate funds, care for the memorial and increase access for future generations.

More information about the Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial Park is available at http://www.nps.gov/poch/.

America’s newest national park is largely removed from public view, just 5 acres on a remote bank of the Sacramento River on a military base in Northern California.

The powerful story it holds has gone little-noticed as well: the worst home-front disaster of World War II, when 320 men — two-thirds of them African Americans — perished in a giant munitions explosion. Fifty of the survivors were court-martialed for refusing orders to return to work.

It was a horror that helped bring an end to racial segregation of the U.S. military — a change that in turn gave impetus to the broader civil rights movement.

Now that chapter of history is getting a wider telling. President Obama has signed legislation making the Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial a full unit of the National Park System, following approval by Congress. That means federal dollars, rangers and a visitors center, as well as preservation of the historical site and ruins at Concord, Calif.

“I am so thrilled,” says the Rev. Diana McDaniel of Oakland, whose uncle was one of the sailors who survived the blast on July 17, 1944. “For me, it’s a story that shouldn’t be forgotten.”

The Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial Enhancement Act of 2009, introduced by Miller in February, was signed by the President today as part of the FY2010 National Defense Authorization Act. Miller, who has spearheaded efforts to create the Port Chicago memorial and recognize the events that occurred there, represents the East Bay community in California where the WWII homefront memorial is located.

“Future generations of America’s children will forever have the opportunity to visit and learn from the historic events that took place at Port Chicago during WWII,” Miller said after the legislation was signed. “The munitions detonation at Port Chicago, the so-called mutiny, and the subsequent legal cases are a significant part of our nation’s struggle for civil rights and rightly helped lead to the desegregation of the US Navy. The legislation that the President signed today will ensure that the site is properly maintained and remains available to the public.”

The legislation signed by the President today designates the memorial and the five acres that encompass the Port Chicago Naval Magazine blast site as an official unit of the National Park Service. Previously, the memorial was considered only an “affiliated area” of the park service and no federal money could be spent on education, historic preservation, or efforts to increase public awareness. This official designation granted today allows the park service to appropriate funds, care for the memorial and increase access for future generations.

The National Park Service announced that Superintendent Martha Lee will oversee the new site. She presently oversees two other local park units that Miller created through legislation years ago — the Rosie the Riveter National Historical Park in Richmond and the John Muir National Historic Site in Martinez – as well as the Eugene O’Neill National Historic Site. Lee said she intends to immediately begin the process for hiring staff dedicated to telling this compelling story, both at the site and out in the nearby communities.

In addition to preserving the memorial, Miller’s legislation also authorizes the Interior Department to work with the City of Concord and the East Bay Regional Park District to establish and operate an interpretive center to allow visitors to learn about the events that took place at Port Chicago.

“Putting this memorial squarely in the capable hands of the National Park Service will ensure that Americans will have access to the compelling stories associated with this significant chapter in our history,” Miller said. “I’d also like to thank the Friends of the Port Chicago National Memorial, the National Parks Conservation Association, the City of Concord and the East Bay Regional Park District for their work, past and future, in supporting this legislation and in preserving the memorial.”

Lee also praised the groups’ participation. “We are committed, along with our partners - the Friends of Port Chicago, the City of Concord and the East Bay Regional Park District – in preserving the rich history and symbolism of this site,” she said.

Port Chicago History
On the night of July 17, 1944, in what is now Concord, CA, thousands of tons of ammunition being loaded for ships bound for the Pacific Theatre in WWII exploded. The blasts instantly killed 320 sailors at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine and wounded hundreds more, and damaged and destroyed merchant ships, the pier, a train, and the buildings of Port Chicago. Less than a month after the tragedy, three divisions were ordered to resume work at a new site a few miles away. Most of the men refused to continue their dangerous tasks until supervision, training, and working conditions were improved. In response, the Navy charged fifty men with conspiring to mutiny; all were convicted.

Nearly all of the men killed while handling ordinance at Port Chicago, and all of those convicted of mutiny, were African-American. Their courts martial had clear racial implications, and was a turning point in the nation’s history of a segregated military. Former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, a lawyer for the NAACP at the time, represented the sailors accused of mutiny.

Miller has long championed the Port Chicago issue and worked for nearly 20 years in Congress on behalf of the Port Chicago sailors and their families to preserve the historic site. His legislation in 1992 first designated the site of the Port Chicago Naval Magazine as a national memorial, and his subsequent efforts led to the pardon of one of the Port Chicago sailors. Since 1992, the Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial has been managed by the National Park Service to remind Americans of the contributions made by the Port Chicago sailors. This summer marks the 65th anniversary of the events that took place at Port Chicago.

The site was made a monument in 1992, largely at the urging of Rep. George Miller, D-Martinez.

The Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial Enhancement Act of 2009, also introduced
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by Miller, aims at growing the existing monument in several ways.

The act would increase accessibility to the memorial, which is currently within the Concord Naval Weapons Station.

Advanced reservations are required to visit.

It also would authorize the Interior Department to work with Concord and the East Bay Regional Park District to establish a center to educate visitors about Port Chicago. The National Park Service also would be responsible for the memorial’s upkeep.

Read the full article here.

The CLAYCORD.com blog also posted the news.

On July 19, 2008, we reflected on the memories of loss, struggle, and lessons evoked by the 1944 explosion. Mr. Spencer Sikes Jr., a son of one of the survivors, was the keynote speaker. The program was held within the Military Ocean Terminal Concord and visited the Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial. Video edited by Julio Sosa.

The Port Chicago National Memorial commemorates the worst home-front disaster of World War II. More than 300 sailors, most of whom were African American, died in a mysterious explosion while loading munitions on to ships bound for the Pacific front. A group of 50 African American sailors who refused to continue loading munitions after the explosion out of fear for their lives were later court-martialed.

“The massive explosion at Port Chicago more than 60 years ago and the events triggered by it helped lead to the desegregation of the U.S. Navy and represented a critical part of America’s civil rights movement,” said Rep. Miller, who represents the area of Port Chicago and has spearheaded congressional efforts for more than 15 years to ensure that the site is properly protected and recognized.

“While Congress already has ensured a memorial at Port Chicago, my new bill would provide further assurances to the sailors and their families that their stories will be preserved and that the site will be properly maintained for the benefit of present and future generations The new designation under this bill brings with it increased stature and, more importantly, the Park Service will be able to budget for the memorial’s needs.”

The March 4 approval followed a congressional hearing in September during which officials from the National Park Service, the Friends of Port Chicago, and the National Parks Conservation Association all testified in favor of the bill.

The bill will be sent to the Senate for further consideration.

The legislation directs the Secretary of the Interior to administer the Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial as a unit of the National Park System. In order to improve public access to the Memorial, the legislation authorizes the Interior Department to work with the City of Concord and the East Bay Regional Park District to establish and operate a facility for visitor orientation and parking, administrative offices, and curatorial storage for the Memorial. The bill also directs the Defense Department and the Interior Department to work together to repair storm damage to the site, and provides for the eventual transfer of the property from the Defense Department to the Interior Department, should the military no longer need the facilities.

Congressman Miller has long championed the Port Chicago issue. He worked for more than a decade in Congress on behalf of the Port Chicago sailors and their families to preserve the historic site.

His legislation in 1992 first designated the site of the Port Chicago Naval Magazine as a national memorial, and his subsequent efforts led to the pardon of one of the Port Chicago sailors.

The Port Chicago National Memorial is a historic site that commemorates the worst home-front disaster of World War II. More than 300 sailors, most of whom were African American, died in a mysterious explosion while loading munitions on to ships bound for the Pacific front. A group of 50 African American sailors who refused to continue loading munitions after the explosion out of fear for their lives were later court-martialed.

Miller’s bill would increase the National Memorial’s accessibility, provide additional visitor services, and help preserve the site for the benefit of generations to come. “I greatly appreciate the important backing for my bill from the National Park Service, the Friends of Port Chicago, the National Parks Conservation Association, and the well respected individuals who testified today before Congress,” said Miller, who has a long legislative and advocacy track record on Port Chicago, working closely over the years with former sailors and their families who were affected by the explosion and its legal and political aftermath.

“This bill is about securing for future generations the ability to learn about, and learn from, the dramatic events that took place at Port Chicago over 60 years ago and that reverberated for years afterward, ushering in racial desegregation to the United States Navy.”

William D. Shaddox, from the National Park Service, Robert L. Allen, Ph.D., author of the complete history on Port Chicago and Eugene Sayles who was present at the Port Chicago tragedy all testified in strong favor of the bill.

William D. Shaddox, the acting Associate Director of Park Planning, Facilities and Lands for the National Park Serivce testified in support of the bill, saying that it would “provide for a designation that we believe is wholly appropriate for a national memorial that commemorates one of the most significant events that occurred on American soil during World War II.”

Dr. Robert Allen, an African-American historian who wrote The Port Chicago Mutiny: The Story of the Largest Mass Mutiny Trial in U.S. Naval History, and a Board Member of Friends of Port Chicago National Memorial, spoke of the importance of the site and the events that occurred there.

Dr. Allen said, “The magnitude of the Port Chicago explosion, and its cost in lives and destruction, were front-page news around the nation. But, in the midst of war, of course, new dramatic headlines quickly replace yesterday’s stories. Port Chicago soon faded from the news, and was in danger of being lost to memory. We need a national memorial so that the tragic story of Port Chicago is not forgotten, so that all those who served and died at Port Chicago are remembered and honored for their service to the nation.”

Eugene Sayles was a Seaman First Class at Port Chicago. He was present when thousands of tons of ammunition exploded on the night of July 17, 1944, at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine. He helped get injured men out of the barracks after the explosion and today he provided a personal perspective on the importance of what happened at the Naval base over 63 years ago.

The blasts instantly killed 320 sailors, wounded hundreds more, and damaged and destroyed merchant ships, the pier, a train, and the buildings of Port Chicago. Less than a month after the tragedy, three divisions were ordered to resume work at a new site a few miles away. Most of the men refused to continue their dangerous tasks until supervision, training, and working conditions were improved. In response, the Navy charged fifty men with conspiring to mutiny; all were convicted.

The majority of the men killed while handling ordinance at Port Chicago, and all of those convicted of mutiny, were African-American. Their courts martial had clear racial implications, and was a turning point in the nation’s history of a segregated military. Following the conviction, Thurgood Marshall, then a lawyer with the NAACP, took up the case. The Port Chicago disaster and its aftermath strongly influenced America’s move towards racial equality, including the Navy’s move toward desegregation in 1945, and President Truman’s 1948 Executive Order desegregating the Armed Forces and guaranteeing “equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion or national origin.”

The legislation, which Miller hopes will be marked up and sent to floor before the end of this Congressional session, directs the Secretary of the Interior to administer the Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial as a unit of the National Park System. In addition, when the site is determined to be excess to military needs, this new bill would transfer the property to the administrative jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior.

In order to improve public access to the Memorial, the legislation authorizes the Interior Department to work with the City of Concord and the East Bay Regional Park District to establish and operate a facility for visitor orientation and parking, administrative offices, and curatorial storage for the Memorial. The bill also directs the Defense Department and the Interior Department to work together to repair storm damage to the site.

Congressman Miller has long championed the Port Chicago issue. He worked for over a decade in Congress on behalf of Port Chicago sailors and their families to preserve the historic site. His legislation in 1992 first designated the site of the Port Chicago Naval Magazine as a national memorial, and his subsequent efforts led to the pardon of one of the Port Chicago sailors. Since 1992, the Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial has been managed by the National Park Service to remind Americans of the contributions made by the Port Chicago sailors.

By JULIANA BARBASSA
Associated Press
7/20/2007

SAN FRANCISCO—The site of a World War II explosion that killed 320 people—more than 200 of them black sailors—and sparked enough outrage about the treatment of the black survivors to fuel a movement to desegregate the military could become part of the National Park System under a new bill.

The measure, announced by U.S. Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., on Friday, would make Port Chicago Naval Magazine in the eastern San Francisco Bay eligible for federal funding to operate a visitor center, hire educational rangers and maintain aging facilities.

The base is currently affiliated with the national parks, but the new status would give the site increased visibility, Miller said of the bill, announced Thursday. A Saturday ceremony will commemorate the 63rd anniversary of the blast that crippled the West Coast’s main WWII port on the Pacific.

“The events of July 17, 1944 are so important to our nation’s military and racial history that more Americans ought to be able to learn from it, to visit the historic site, and to know that it will be properly maintained for generations to come,” said Miller.

It’s unclear what set off the blast that destroyed the two munitions ships anchored at the base, said Robert Allen, a University of California, Berkeley professor and author of “The Port Chicago Mutiny.”

“Anyone who was close enough to see what happened didn’t survive,” he said. “It was the worst home-front tragedy of World War II.”

It was night, and the dark sky turned bright with the white-hot blaze of more than 5,000 tons of explosives going off at once, said retired sailor Percy Robinson, 82.

Robinson had been in the barracks. The flash made him turn to the windows. A fraction of a second later, a formidable blast of air blew the glass panes into the room. He raised his left arm to protect his eyes, but the rest of his face and upper body was cut so badly that a friend he ran into out side the crumbling building didn’t recognize him, Robinson said.

“But they patched me up and told me to get back to work. I could walk, so I could work,” he said.

Most of the dead—202 men—were black sailors who loaded heavy bombs, ammunitions and other explosives onto ships. They worked with no formal training in handling hazardous materials, and under all white officers, said Allen.

Besides the hard labor, they suffered the indignities of living in a segregated environment. Blacks were not allowed to use the restrooms on the ships they loaded and couldn’t rise to officer ranks, Allen said.

When the explosion scattered body parts among the wreckage, white survivors who asked for a month leave were granted the time off. The black seamen were ordered to clean up the debris, said Allen.

The blast heaped anger on men already frustrated by these circumstances. In response, 258 ammunition loaders, all of them black, defied orders to return to work in the same unsafe conditions, Robinson said.

The Navy responded by imprisoning all 258 men for three days on a barge on San Pablo Bay that was outfitted to hold 75 people, said Allen. The sailors were told that if they didn’t obey orders, they’d be charged with mutiny, which carries a death sentence during wartime.

“They said we got back to work or got shot by a firing squad for mutiny,” said Robinson. “Those were the choices they gave us.”

All but 50 men backed down. The 50 withstood a monthlong military trial, and were found guilty by the white officers in charge after an 80-minute deliberation, said Allen. The sailors got 15 years in federal prison.

Thurgood Marshall, then a lawyer with the NAACP, had watched the trial and started a campaign asking the public to write to the Navy protesting the injustice, Allen said.

“A massive public response began to develop to this situation—hundreds of letters, thousands of names on petitions,” said the historian. “The Navy needed to make some kind of response. They began desegregating right there at Port Chicago.”

First the Navy introduced white munitions loaders at the base. By the end of 1945, they’d desegregated their training facilities. In 1946 the Port Chicago 50, as the men were known, were pardoned in a general amnesty. They had to serve parole—but now they did so on ships that were already desegregated, Allen said.

In 1948, President Truman issued an order desegregating all the Armed Forces.

“Once the Navy got started, it opened the door for other services to fall in line,” said Allen.

———

On the Net:

National Park Service: http://www.nps.gov/poch/

Naval Historical Center—search for “Port Chicago”: http://www.history.navy.mil

Rep. George Miller: http://www.house.gov/georgemiller

National Park Conservation Association: http://www.npca.org

The following letter was sent by Congressman George Miller to his colleagues asking for their support of a measure that would significantly enhance the Port Chicago Memorial:

Dear Colleague:

This summer marks the sixty-third anniversary of America’s worst home-front disaster of World War II. I will be introducing legislation in July to commemorate the anniversary by improving and enhancing the Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial, and I write today to invite you to join me as an original cosponsor.

Thousands of tons of ammunition exploded on the night of July 17, 1944, at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine in the east San Francisco Bay area. The blasts instantly killed 320 sailors, wounded hundreds more, and damaged and destroyed merchant ships, the pier, a train, and the buildings of Port Chicago. Less than a month after the tragedy, three divisions were ordered to resume work at a new site a few miles away. Most of the men refused to continue their dangerous tasks until supervision, training, and working conditions were improved. In response, the Navy charged fifty men with conspiring to mutiny; all were convicted.

The majority of the men killed while handling ordinance at Port Chicago, and all of those convicted of mutiny, were African-American. This injustice had clear racial implications, and was a turning point in our nation’s history. Following the conviction, Thurgood Marshall, then a lawyer with the NAACP, took up the case. The Port Chicago disaster and its aftermath strongly influenced America’s move towards racial equality, including the Navy’s move toward desegregation in 1945, and President Truman’s 1948 Executive Order desegregating the Armed Forces and guaranteeing “equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion or national origin.”

Recognizing the importance of the site to our nation’s history, I sponsored legislation in the 102nd Congress to designate the site of the Port Chicago Naval Magazine as a national memorial. Since the bill became law in 1992, the Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial has been managed by the National Park Service to remind Americans of the contributions made by the Port Chicago sailors.

In the 1990s, I led a successful congressional effort to secure a presidential pardon from President Clinton for Freddie Meeks, one of the few Port Chicago sailors still living at that time. He and the other men of Port Chicago served our nation and helped educate us not only about racial justice, but also about how courage, perseverance and dignity ultimately are honored.

This July, to honor the anniversary of the 1944 disaster, I will introduce the “Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial Enhancement Act of 2007,” a new bill designed to increase the National Memorial’s accessibility, provide additional visitor services, and preserve the site for future generations.

I hope you will join me in honoring this important moment in American history by supporting this legislation. Please contact Ben Miller with my staff … with any questions or to join as a co-sponsor.

Sincerely,

GEORGE MILLER
Member of Congress

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