- November 22, 2024
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Ernie Howell was drafted into the U.S. Marines and served from Oct. 10, 1951, to Oct. 6, 1953. He held the rank of private first class and received the National Defense Service Medal for his service. While on active duty, he was a rifleman with duties as a stock clerk, with additional training to support an anti-aircraft gun unit. The Korean War ended just before he was supposed to be sent abroad. Howell was born in Fayetteville, Tennessee, where his mother had also been born. The family relocated to Detroit, Michigan, shortly after his birth. He attended and graduated from Detroit Public Schools. After his honorable discharge from the Marine Corps, he used the GI Bill to attend Tennessee State University in Nashville. While he was attending university, his parents moved back to Fayetteville to care for his grandfather and his businesses. After he attained his bachelor's degree, Howell returned to Detroit and worked as a counselor. He went on to receive his master of education degree from the University of Michigan, and after a long career eventually retired from Detroit Public Schools in 1989. Howell and his wife, Nancy, moved to Palm Coast permanently in 2007 after being “snowbirds” since 1995. He enjoyed golf and was a member of the Eagles Golf Club. An important historical note: Howell was among the first African American Marines to receive training at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Prior to that, all African American Marines received their training at the segregated Camp Montford Point, Jacksonville, North Carolina.
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