James Pringle was born in Sumter, South Carolina in November 1925. Life growing up was rough. He worked in grocery stores and fish markets. He registered for the draft. He did a wide variety of jobs. His parents were farmers and were church going people. They lived a 100 percent segregated life. Drugstores and restaurants required them to use the back door. They had to have food as take-out. Pringle was in his yard when Pearl Harbor was bombed [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. It was a bad day for the world. When he was old enough for the draft, they wanted to put him in the Navy. He did not want the Navy because he could only work in the mess units. He told them he wanted the Marine Corps. He went to Montford Point [Annotator's Note: Camp Montford Point, Jacksonville, North Carolina]. It was rough, but good training. They drilled. They would get punished if they got more than three letters in the mail. Once through it, you appreciate it. Obeying the Drill Instructor's orders was the hardest thing to get used to. He thought they were unreasonable but discovered later it was all useful and made him a man. All of the men were happy to get the training. He trained with the M1 [Annotator's Note: .30 caliber M1 semi-automatic rifle, also known as the M1 Garand] and loved it. He became a marksman. He stayed in touch with his family while there. He looked forward to getting his weekly box of goodies. When he got overseas, the recreation facilities were segregated. [Annotator's Note: The tape breaks. At restart, Pringle tells the interviewer that he thinks the story might be inappropriate but is encouraged to continue.] In Honolulu [Annotator's Note: Honolulu, Hawaii], Eleanor Roosevelt [Annotator's Note: wife of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States] was there. There was a long line of men waiting for prostitutes. She got into the line with everybody. When she got up to the front, she found out what the line was about. That put an end to that practice. Pringle would get in line when Seabees [Annotator's Note: members of US naval construction battalions] came into base. The Seabees would pay to take his place in line, and he made a few extra bucks that way. Going overseas was without incident. He was afraid of water and had never learned to swim despite being a Marine. He always made up an excuse to not take lessons. He got really tight with men and told them if the ship was hit, he needed them to help him get ashore.

James Pringle arrived at Guam [Annotator's Note: Guam, Mariana Islands] at the end of 1944. He registered, went through boot camp and was overseas in six months. He was a heavy equipment operator in the warehouses. He operated a Big Ross [Annotator's Note: Ross Series 19HT military forklift truck]. They arrived after the battle [Annotator's Note: Second Battle of Guam, 21 July to 10 August 1944]. The Japs [Annotator's Note: a period derogatory term for Japanese] would come down at night and invade the camps. Some would be in uniform and try to mingle. They would go into the chow hall and would even come down and watch the movies. Then they would return to the mountains. Some guys would go up into the caves looking for them. They told one of them he should not do it. One night he went up anyway, they found him later, scattered on the outside of a cave. Guard duty was rough. One night, Pringle was caught sleeping. He had not challenged the officer and told him the reason was that he knew who he was. He was not written up for that. It was an offense you could be shot for. As an equipment operator, he was moving ammo and weapons into six by trucks [Annotator's Note: two and a half ton, six by six truck, also known as deuce and a half]. A lot of personal effects of Marines who were killed were being shipped back.

James Pringle signed up to fight in the war. The majority of them [Annotator's Note: Black Americans] had. It was not given to them. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but they swallowed it. If he had to do it all over again, he would. He regrets accepting his discharge for many days afterwards. He wanted to reenlist. He feels he did not complete what he started out to do. The news that the war was over was well broadcast. He was happy. He came home on the USS Catalan [Annotator's Note: unable to identify vessel] to San Francisco [Annotator's Note: San Francisco, California]. He then took a train back to Camp Lejeune [Annotator's Note: Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Jacksonville, North Carolina]. He was discharged there and received his pay. The discrimination he felt at home made him bitter. The law was passed not allowing discrimination [Annotator's Note: Civil Rights Act of 1964; ended segregation and banned employment discrimination] and he feels good about it now. It was a Southerner [Annotator's Note: Lyndon Baines Johnson, 36th President of the United States] that made the law pass. That was a good thing. He is very proud to be a Montford Point Marine. His kids and grandkids have joined the Marine Corps. His nephew joined and became a First Sergeant. He left the Marines, went into the Army, then the Navy, and back to the Marine Corps, where he died eight or nine years ago [Annotator's Note: at the time of this interview; unclear as to if he means he died in combat].

James Pringle is proud to have been one of the first Civil Rights pioneers [Annotator's Note: by being a Montford Point Marine]. He thinks about what Martin Luther King [Annotator's Note: The Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr., American Civil Rights leader; assassinated 1968] had to go through. It is a bitter pill to think about Emmett Till [Annotator's Note: Emmett Louis Till; murdered in 1955] and the kids bombed in the church [Annotator's Note: 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, 15 September 1963 by white supremacists. Four very young African-American females were killed]. He is glad there are quite a few of them [Annotator's Note: Montford Point Marines] still alive. He is leaving something for his kids. He is really proud of receiving the Congressional Gold Medal [Annotator's Note: awarded to Montford Point Marines, 27 June 2012]. He was in his first parade a few weeks ago [Annotator's Note: at the time of this interview.] There were parades after World War 2, but they were not included in them. He knew some Tuskegee Airmen [Annotator's Note: African American airmen; members of the 332nd Fighter Group and 477th Bombardment Group, US Army Air Forces; name applies to all associated personnel] and they just got their recognition too [Annotator's Note: the Congressional Gold Medal was awarded to the Tuskegee Airmen on 29 March 2007]. Pringle will always love the Marines and is proud to be one. He will die a Marine. Pringle feels children need to study and learned about World War 2. So many are strung out on drugs and rap music. He would like to see them get more knowledge about all wars. Museums are very important for this, they show how people lived and progressed. His message to future generations is to watch and learn. See what they had to go through and how things are now. His family knows how he feels about them. He appreciates everything they did to make this [Annotator's Note: this interview] happen. His two daughters pushed it through. He heard there is talk of a movie being made [Annotator's Note: about the Montford Point Marines].