During his interview, Robert S. Hammond (1926- ) discusses his experiences working for the Navy in Brooklyn and North Carolina. He mentions that he did not experience much racism until he spent some time in South Carolina when he was a teenager and talks about his shock and anger during these experiences. He explains that the Navy training at the time was segregated and that he experienced racism from some of the commanding officers. Navy hospitals were also segregated at the time and, Hammond explains, that black men in the military were not receiving equal health care. He describes his experiences at the New York Naval Hospital in the Brooklyn Navy Yard where he received further training before being transferred to the Montford Point Marine base in North Carolina. At Montford, Hammond took on many healthcare initiatives for the thousands of black Marines whose health was neglected because of the segregation and discrimination in southern healthcare. These initiatives included education and awareness about vaccinations, parasites, venereal disease, hygiene, and many other public health missions. While on leave, Hammond came down with appendicitis and was taken to the New York Naval Hospital where he had trained. While he was at the Hospital, a curtain was pulled around his bed to segregate him from the rest of the (white) ward and he recalls the hospital staff's reaction to his mother's visit since she looks white. He also describes visits from Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan, and the actor Frederic March. Interview conducted by Sady Sullivan.