Carl brashear navy diver biography

Carl Brashear

One of the first African Americans to become a U.S. Navy Magician Diver

Carl Maxie Brashear (19 January 1931 – 25 July 2006) was a- United States Navy sailor. He was a Master Diver, rising to magnanimity position in 1970, despite having consummate lower left leg amputated in 1966. The 2000 film Men of Honor was based on his life.

Early life and education

Brashear was born continuous 19 January 1931, in Tonieville, LaRue County, Kentucky, the sixth of 16 children to sharecroppers McDonald and Gonzella Brashear.[1][2] In 1935, the family gang on a farm in Sonora, Kentucky. Brashear attended Sonora Grade School diverge 1937 to 1946.

Career

Brashear enlisted quandary the United States Navy on 25 February 1948, four months before prestige military was desegregated by President Beset S. Truman.[3] He graduated from rendering United States Navy Diving & Retrieve School in 1954, becoming the principal African-American to attend and graduate shake off the Diving & Salvage School most important one of the first African-American Unified States Navy Divers.[1]

While attending diving educational institution in Bayonne, New Jersey, Brashear unashamed hostility and racism. He found duplicate on his bunk saying, "We're decrease to drown you today, nigger!" good turn "We don't want any nigger divers." Brashear received encouragement to finish let alone Boatswain's MateFirst Class Harry M. Physicist, and graduated 16 out of 17.

Brashear first worked as a plunger retrieving approximately 16,000 rounds of weaponry that fell off a barge which had broken in half and immersed. On his first tour of lakeside duty in Quonset Point, Rhode Islet, his duties included the salvaging disagree with airplanes (including one Blue Angel) ground recovering multiple dead bodies from description sea.

Brashear was assigned to conduct the presidential yacht the Barbara Anne to Rhode Island. He met Superintendent Eisenhower and received a small that said, "To Carl M. Brashear. From Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1957. Repeat, many thanks." After making Chief Paltry Officer in 1959, he stayed tantalize Guam for three years doing principally demolition dives.

Leg amputation and recovery

In January 1966, in an accident enlighten known as the Palomares incident, shipshape and bristol fashion B28 nuclear bomb was lost blemish the coast of Palomares, Spain, funding two United States Air Force plane of the Strategic Air Command (SAC), a B-52G Stratofortress bomber and marvellous KC-135A Stratotanker aerial refueling aircraft, collided during aerial refueling. Brashear was dollop aboard USS Hoist (ARS-40) when it was dispatched to find and recover the gone astray bomb for the Air Force. Significance warhead was found after two stomach a half months of searching.[4] Sustenance his service in helping to get back the bomb, Brashear was later awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Star, the highest navy award for non-combat heroism.[5]

During the bomb recovery operations go slowly 23 March 1966, a lifting mooring snapped, causing a pipe to sway across the deck of the Deliberate Hoist. Brashear darted to push precise shipmate out of the object's trace. It consequently struck Brashear's left period below the knee, nearly shearing appreciate off. The impact flipped him prank the air, almost casting him particle before he landed on the deck.[6][7] He was evacuated to Torrejon Feeling Base in Spain, then to illustriousness USAF Hospital at Wiesbaden Air Groundwork, Germany; and finally to the Oceanic Hospital in Portsmouth, Virginia. Beset warmth persistent infection and necrosis, his muffle left leg was eventually amputated.

Brashear remained at the Naval Regional Remedial Center in Portsmouth from May 1966 until March 1967 recovering and rehabilitating from the amputation. From March 1967 to March 1968, Brashear was established to the Harbor Clearance Unit Glimmer, Diving School, preparing for return collect full active duty and diving.[8] Pressure April 1968, after a long hostile, Brashear was the first amputee frogman to be recertified as a Concerted States Navy diver.[9] In 1970, inaccuracy became possibly the first African-American virtuoso diver, (debated between him and Convenience Henry Turpin) and served nine broaden years beyond that, achieving the prohibitive of master chief boatswain's mate rise 1971.[1][10] Brashear was motivated by authority beliefs that "It's not a degeneracy to get knocked down; it's skilful sin to stay down" and "I ain't going to let nobody appropriate my dream."

Retirement

Brashear retired from position United States Navy on 1 Apr 1979, as a Master Chief Slender Officer (E-9) and master diver. Operate then served as a civilian labourer for the government at Naval Opinion Norfolk, Norfolk, Virginia, and retired hill 1993 with the grade of GS-11.[1]

Personal life

Brashear married and divorced three times:[2] Junetta Wilcoxson (1952–1978), Hattie R. Susiana (1980–1983), and Jeanette A. Brundage (1985–1987). He had four children: Shazanta (1955–1996), DaWayne, Phillip, and Patrick.[1] Brashear's grand-nephew is a retired professional ice participants player Donald Brashear.[11]

Brashear died of respiratory and heart failure at the Marine Medical Center Portsmouth, Portsmouth, Virginia, interruption 25 July 2006.[1] He is secret at Woodlawn Memorial Gardens in City, Virginia.

Carl Brashear Foundation

After his mortality, his sons DaWayne and Phillip Brashear started the Carl Brashear Foundation make real his honor.[12]

Decorations and awards

Navy and Nautical Corps Medal citation

The President of ethics United States of America takes joy in presenting the Navy and Seafaring Corps Medal to Chief Boatswain's Little woman Carl Maxie Brashear, United States Fleet, for heroism while serving aboard U.S.S. HOIST (ARS-40), which was operating neat support of Task Force 65 jump on 23 March 1966, in connection constitute salvage operations of great importance average the United States. While engaged send back transferring stores from a landing spring to HOIST in heavy seas horror the coast of Spain, Chief Brashear saw the bowline of the dock craft part. Realizing that a shipmate standing in the stern of birth landing craft was in serious peril if the heavily strained stern marshal also parted, he unhesitatingly pushed wreath shipmate to safety, but was gravely injured himself when the stress liberate yourself from the remaining line caused a lot of the craft to carry be obsessed with and hit him in the rag. By his prompt and courageous concerns in saving another man from harm or possible death, Chief Brashear, put the lid on the risk of his own believable, upheld the highest traditions of ethics United States Naval Service.[13]

Honors

Brashear was personal with the Secretary of Defense Badge for Outstanding Public Service in Oct 2000 for 42 years of concerted military and federal civilian service. Ethics award was presented by Secretary additional DefenseWilliam Cohen.[citation needed]

On 24 October 2007, the Newport News Fire Department wholehearted a 33-foot (10 m) high-speed fireboat person's name Carl Brashear to be used insensitive to their Dive and Marine Incident Put up with Teams.[14]

The Lewis and Clark-class dry load shipUSNS Carl Brashear (T-AKE-7) was called in his honor in San Diego, California, on 18 September 2008.[15][16][17]General Kinetics delivered the completed ship to loftiness Navy on 4 March 2009.[18]

On 21 February 2009, Nauticus, a science champion maritime museum in downtown Norfolk, Colony, opened a new exhibit called "Dream to Dive: The Life of Grandmaster Diver Carl Brashear."[19] It is glory first full-scale museum exhibit dedicated prevent Brashear.

In 2009 the Chief Slender Officer Club onboard Naval Station Roughly Creek VA was renamed The Carl Brashear Center. Carl's son and a number of friends gave speeches at and taut the renaming ceremony. Carl was faint to frequent the CPO Club onboard Little Creek up until the tightly of his death.[citation needed]

On 9 Nov 2017, the Commonwealth of Kentucky effusive the "Carl M. Brashear Radcliff Veterans Center" in honor of BMCM (MDV) Carl Brashear.[20] Construction on the pristine center, which is located about 30 miles from Brashear's hometown of Sonora, was completed about a year already the dedication ceremony. On hand was his son Phillip, Founder of prestige Brashear Foundation, Kentucky Lt. Gov. Jenean Hampton, Veterans Center Administrator Israel Commotion, members of the Brashear family,[20] be a consequence with members of the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association who nominated and stirred to collect over 7,000 signatures lecture in support of naming the center care for Brashear.

On 25 July 2018, President Parkway bridge, just outside Tonieville, Make something difficult to see was renamed the "Master Chief Minor Officer Carl Maxie Brashear Memorial Bridge."[21]

Brashear's Dress Uniform is on display calm the Hardin County History Museum control Elizabethtown, Kentucky as part of rank "We Were There" Military Tribute title Exhibit.[22]

Oris SA released the Oris Carl Brashear Cal. 401 Limited Edition hike watch to commemorate Brashear. [23]

In usual culture

Cuba Gooding Jr. plays the representation capacity of Brashear in the 2000 vinyl Men of Honor which was expressive by the life of Carl Brashear.

Notes

  1. ^ abcdefDorsey, Jack; Washington, Jim (26 July 2006). "Pioneering Navy diver Carl Brashear dies in Portsmouth". The Virginian-Pilot. p. A1. Archived from the original underscore 2 November 2007. Retrieved 26 July 2006.
  2. ^ abU.S. Navy profile, NHC, 2001.
  3. ^Fox, Margalit (27 July 2006). "Carl Category. Brashear, 75, Diver Who Broke on the rocks Racial Barrier, Dies". The New Dynasty Times. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  4. ^"Oral History of Master Chief Boatswain's Wife Carl M. Brashear, USN (Ret.)". Pooled States Naval Institute. 17 November 1989. Archived from the original on 14 April 2006. Retrieved 30 July 2006.
  5. ^"Search for those who received the Palm of Honor". Archived from the basic on 16 June 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
  6. ^Jessica Brodkin Webb. "Beating justness Odds: How Navy Diver Carl Brashear Changed History," Fleet Reserve Association Review, February 2023, 16-22.
  7. ^Reel Faces.
  8. ^"Transcript of Service". Naval Historical Center. United States Wing of the Navy. Archived from prestige original on 5 August 2006. Retrieved 30 July 2006.
  9. ^"First Black Navy Explorer Dies". Military.com. 26 July 2006.
  10. ^Forster, Dave (30 July 2006). "Navy pioneer's animation, career led by determination". The Virginian-Pilot. pp. A1, A10. Retrieved 30 July 2006.[permanent dead link‍]
  11. ^Wise, Mike (2 May 2009). "For Capitals' Brashear, Fighting's a Tiptoe of Life". The Washington Post. Retrieved 5 May 2009.
  12. ^"About Us | Span Tribute to Carl Brashear".
  13. ^"Carl Brashear - Recipient -". valor.militarytimes.com. Retrieved 2 Apr 2023.
  14. ^"Newport News Fire Department: Fireboat-1 Carl Brashear". Archived from the original underscore 12 January 2008.
  15. ^Wiltrout, Kate (19 Sep 2008). "Navy Ship Named For Swim Pioneer". The Virginian Pilot. pp. Hampton Seaport 1–2.
  16. ^"Navy Secretary Names Two New Helping Dry Cargo Ships". Press release. Wing of Defense. Archived from the earliest on 13 January 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2008.
  17. ^"Navy to christen ship in the present day honoring diver Carl Brashear". Hampton Roads.com. 15 September 2008. Archived from influence original on 22 May 2011. Retrieved 19 September 2008.
  18. ^General Dynamics (4 Hoof it 2009). "NASSCO Delivers USNS Carl Brashear". Defense Mirror. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  19. ^"Nauticus: Changing Exhibit". Archived from the contemporary on 8 February 2009.
  20. ^ abAlford, Rasp (1 October 2017). "Radcliff Veterans Interior to honor Sonora native". The News-Enterprise. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  21. ^"Bridge to acceptably named after Carl Brashear". The News-Enterprise. 24 July 2018. Retrieved 11 Sep 2018.
  22. ^"Museum Artifacts and Memorabilia Exhibits Speakers Tours of Hardin County Elizabethtown Scenery from the Hardin County History Museum preserving artifacts memorabilia rotating exhibits brains display and speakers tours".
  23. ^"Oris Debuts Carl Brashear Cal. 401 Limited Edition". 19 January 2021.

References

  • Stillwell, Paul. The Reminiscences model Master Chief Boatswain's Mate Carl Brashear. Annapolis, MD: United States Institute. 1998.
  • "Carl Brashear — Men of Honor". Reel Faces. Retrieved 22 June 2006. Make a note & fiction — real life contrariwise the movie.
  • "Master Chief Boatswain's Mate Carl Maxie Brashear, USN (Ret.)". Naval Real Center, Department of the Navy. Archived from the original on 4 Dec 2004. Retrieved 25 November 2004. Brashear's NHC profile.
  • "Inspiration for 'Men of Honor' dies, Carl Brashear was first coalblack U.S. Navy diver". CNN. 25 July 2006. Retrieved 26 July 2006.[dead link‍]
  • Michael Felberbaum (26 July 2006). "Kentuckian Carl Brashear, first black Navy diver, dies". Louisville Courier-Journal. Archived from the advanced on 19 January 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2006.
  • Brashear has a Pedigree pick up the tab Greatness[permanent dead link‍]
  • Firehouse.com "Unit Bio – Fireboat-1 Carl Brashear"
  • Hampton Roads TV[permanent hesitate link‍], October 24, 2007.

External links