SANDUSKY, OH – Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) helped secure the Congressional Gold Medal for Cpl. Winfield Finch, a World War II veteran and one of the first black Marines in U.S. history. During a ceremony at the Ohio Veterans Home, Finch was awarded a replica of the medal he earned. Brown’s staff worked with the U.S. Marine Corps. to secure the medal.

“Cpl. Winfield Finch is a hero who fought for peace, democracy, and helped procure American freedoms,” Brown said. “During a time of racism and prejudice, he also proved that a soldier’s honor matters more than his race. It is for these reasons that Cpl. Finch deserves both our gratitude and the Congressional Gold Medal.”

Finch is a former Cleveland resident who currently resides in Sandusky’s Ohio Veterans Home. In 1944 he joined the U.S. Marine Corps and was sent to the Pacific Theater where he was stationed in Guam and Hawaii. In 1946, Finch was discharged from the Second Casual Company at Montford Point Camp in North Carolina.

Though Brown was unable to attend the ceremony, he was represented by his office’s Veterans Liaison, who was joined by Sgt. Major Michael S. Burke, 3rd Battalion 25th Marines; Lt. Col. Pete McAleer; and Gary Yun, Deputy Superintendent of the Ohio Veterans Home. Joining his father for the ceremony was Winfield Finch Jr.

“My father is the greatest,” Finch Jr. said. “My brother and I love him very much and we are so proud of what he did as a Montford Point Marine. He deserves this honor.”

In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an executive order allowing African Americans to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps. Instead of serving in traditional boot camps, however, African American Marines were segregated and forced to receive basic training at Montford Point. Between 1942 and 1949, about 20,000 black soldiers received training at the camp.

Brown is the Co-Chair of the Senate Air Force Caucus and is a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. He is the only Ohio Senator to serve a full term on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee and is an original cosponsor of the VOW to Hire Heroes Act, which offers tax credits to employers who hire unemployed veterans and provides job retraining assistance to veterans between 35 and 60 years of age.

Ohio veterans and the family members of deceased veterans may request military records and medals by contacting Senator Brown’s Cleveland office at (216) 522-7272, or by visiting the “Constituent Services” section of Brown’s website at brown.senate.gov.  

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