Reverend William Greason
Montford Point Marine
100th Birthday Celebration

The Event

For a century, William Henry Greason showed up for his country.  On September 3, 2024, his 100th Birthday, his country showed up for him.

Driven by the Heart and Armor veteran and active-duty military community, a collaborative group of Americans showed Reverend Greason attention and affection at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama. Hundreds of veterans, young baseball players, Birmingham citizens and congregants of Reverend Greason’s church joined hands to listen, to celebrate, and to serve on his 100th birthday. 

Representatives of the military, baseball, Birmingham and spiritual communities recounted the journey of a US Marine Corps veteran whose military service launched a life of consequential American citizenship. As Reverend Greason took a trip around the familiar base paths of Rickwood Field, prestigious representatives recounted and contextualized his American journey:

First Base:

A decorated trailblazer in the US Military 

• Read by Maj. Gen, J. Michael Myatt (US Marine Corps) and his grandson Eamon Myatt

Second Base:

A baseball career and lifelong friendship with Willie Mays

• Read by Samanta Erickson (US Air Force) LeJon Butler (US Navy) and Aundray Rogers (US Army) on behalf of San Francisco Giants Outfielder Mike Yastrzemski 

Third Base:

A pillar of the Birmingham Community

• Read by Congresswoman Terri Sewell (AL-7)

Home:

A half-century at Bethel Baptist Church, Berney Points

• Read By Deacon Mike Holt on behalf of the Bethel Congregation

The Journey

Reverend Greason was celebrated for being:

• One of the first black men to wear a Marine Corps uniform

• A veteran of the Battle of Iwo Jima as part of the 66th supply platoon 

• One of the few surviving veterans who saluted the American flag as it was raised at Mt Mount Suribachi, Feb 25, 1945

• A gifted multi-sport athlete who became a curveball specialist and elite baseball prospect at age 23 after completing his first round of military service

• A mentor to a young teenage baseball phenom on the Birmingham Black Barons named Willie Mays

• The winning pitcher and baserunner in Game 3 of the Negro League World Series at Rickwood Field in 1948

• The first black pitcher for the MLB St. Louis Cardinals 

• A former junior pastor at the 16th Street Baptist Church when it was bombed by the Ku Klux Klan, which killed four young members of his congregation

• A doctor of divinity studies from Samford University in Birmingham Alabama

• The pastor of Bethel Baptist Church, Berney  since 1971

• The leader of service projects throughout the years for those in need in Birmingham 

• The still-working and still-preaching pastor at Bethel Baptist at age 100

The Host Committee:

MIKE YASTRZEMSKI SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

“My family’s history is intertwined with the Birmingham Barons, but more than that, William Greason is just a trailblazing, historic, humble man. And so much more. As a current player, it is hard not to be in awe of someone who used a service-over-self mentality to such positive effect over a 100 years beyond the game of baseball.“

MAJOR GENERAL MICHAEL MYATT (RET), US MARINE CORPS

“The importance of someone like Reverend Greason is hard to overstate. He was one of the first black men to wear a Marine Corps uniform - Montford Point Marines like him changed everything. For the better. He fought on foreign soil at Iwo Jima. And he fought domestic barriers for others who wanted to experience the honor of serving their country in the Marines. We celebrate him to show our appreciation, but also to learn about our own history,“

DEACON MIKE HOLT BETHEL BAPTIST CHURCH, BERNEY POINTS

“I have been around Reverend for decades. All those things he says about how it is better to give than receive, how service to others is the path forward - he lives it. Same house, same church, same community, same message for over 50 years. He walks the walk. And we love him for it. He is our treasure. He does not compromise on his principles. Being a cheerful giver - it’s all real, and it has sustained him. It has sustained us. We’re happy that his country is finally giving him his due. He is a patriot.”

Selected Media

• AL.com

• SF Chronicle

• USA Today

• St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Special Thanks:
Band Together
LRY Media Group
Bethel Baptist Church, Pearson Avenue 
San Francisco Giants
St. Louis Cardinals 
Gerald Watkins, Friends of Rickwood
Jill Norris
General Eric Smith, 39th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps
President George W. Bush

Artwork  Jeremy Beliveau, Sergeant, United States Marine Corps 2006-2010  Instagram @jeremybeliveau