Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawai'ian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Harry Harris, J. first Asian American to command USPACOM

 

Harry Harris Jr., born August 4, 1956 in Yokosuka, Japan, is the first Asian American to lead the US Pacific Command. His mother was Japanesse and his father was a US Navy Machinist's mate, aboard the USS Lexington.  He graduated from the US Naval Academy in Annapolis in 1978.

Harris was nominated by President Barack Obama to command the USPACOM on September 22, 2014.  The Senate confirmed his appointment on December 11, making him the first Asian American to achieve this position.

Adm. Harry Harris J. nominated to lead PACOM

Celebrating Black History Month: Madeline Swegle, first African American female US Navy tactical jet pilot

 

Madeline Swegle, from Burke, Virginia, is the first African American woman to become a US Navy tactical jet pilot, July 7, 2020.  She graduated from the US Naval Academy in 2017. She completed her Tactical Air Strike pilot training in Kingsville, TX. 

Lt. Madeline Swegle

Celebrating Black History Month: Carl Brashear, first African American US Navy Master Diver

 

Carl Brashear, born January 19, 1931 in Tonieville, Kentucky, enlisted in the US Navy in February 1948, four months before President Truman desegregated the US military.  He graduated from the US Navy Diving and Salvage School in 1954, becoming the first black man to attend and graduate from the school, and one of the first African American divers in the US Navy.

During his career, he worked retrieving 16,000 rounds of annumnition that feel off a barge with had broken in half and sunk.  He also worked on salvaging airplanes and recovering multiple dead bodies from the sea. 

He was achieved the rank of Chief Petty Officer in 1959, and worked in Guam for three years doing mostly demolition dives. 

In 1966, he was dispatched to find and recover a nuclear bomb lost off the coast of Palomares, Spain after two US Air Force aircraft collided during an aerial refueling maneuver. During the recovery operations in March 1966, an accident with a lifting cable and pipe crushed Brashears' left leg, but doctors were unable to save it.  His lower left leg was eventually amputated.

Brashear recovered and rehabilitated from the amputation for almost a year.  In March 1967, he was assigned to the Harbor Clearance Unit Two, Diving School and in april 1968, he became the first amputee diver to be recertified as a US Navy diver.  In 1970, he became the first African American master diver.

He retired from the Navy in April 1979 as a Master Chief Petty Officer.  He passed away  from respiratory and heart failure in July 2006 in Portsmouth, Virginia.

Interview with Carl Brashear

Celebrating Black History Month: Harriet Pickens and Frances Wills, first African American women commissioned in the US Navy

 

Harriet Ida Pickens, born March 17, 1909 in Talladega, Alabama, and Frances Wills, born July 12, 1910 in Philadelphia, Pennyslvania, were the first two African American female officers to be commissioned by the US Navy.

The WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) was established in 1942 during WWII, and many African American women wanted to enlist.  Then-Secretary of the US Navy Frank Knox refused their admission, following his death in April 1944, President Franklin Roosevelt authorized their inclusion in the WAVES.  Pickens and Wills were the first African American women chosen as recruits. They were enlisted on November 13, 1944.

Pickens passed away in 1969 in New York City after a stroke.  Wills died in January 1998 in New York City. 

Harriet Pickens and Frances Wills

Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawai'ian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Elizabeth Ohi, first Asian American female to practice law

Kuma Elizabeth Ohi, born February 9, 1911 in Chicago, Illinois, became the first Japanese American female to practice law in the United States in 1937.  

She was detained after the attack on Pearl Harbor, but Arthur Goldberg, the attorney for whom Ohi was working as a clerk, intervened.   She served as an ensign in the US Navy, and afterwards moved to Washington, DC.  She became an attorney at the Office of Management and Budget and the US Department of Labor.

She passed away in August 1976 in Washington, DC.
 

Celebrating Black History Month: Phyllis Mae Dailey, first African American woman commissioned Navy officer

Phyllis Mae Dailey, born March 12, 1919 in New York City, became the first African American woman to serve in the United States Navy and a commissioned Navy officer.  She graduated from the Lincoln School for Nurses in Manhattan, and studied public health at Teachers College, Columbia University.  

When the US entered WWII, she kept applying to the Army Nurse Corps, and the Navy Nurse Corps.  The Navy desegrated its Nurse Corps in January 1945.  On March 8, 1945 Dailey was sworn into the Navy Nurse Corps, becoming the first African American woman to become a commissioned Navy officer.  

She served the Navy after the war until she was discharged May 9, 1951, having earned the rank of lieutenant (junior grade).  She worked as a clinical nursing instructor for the New York City Board of Education.  She died in October 1976 after a short illness.

Celebrating Black History Month: Vice Adm. Samuel Gravely, first black officer to command a US Navy ship

Samuel Gravely, born June 4, 1922 in Richmond, Virginia, joined the Naval Reserve in 1942.  He graduated from UCLA, and completed Midshipmen's School at Columbia University and was commissioned as ensign in December 1944. 

He was the only black officer aboard the USS PC-1264, a submarine chaser, during WWII.  After the war, he was released from active duty, but remained in the Naval Reserve.  He was recalled to active duty in 1949, as a recruiter in Washington, DC through the Korean War. In 1955, he transferred to the Reserve to the regular Navy and specialized in naval communications.

He was the first African American officer to command the USS Theodore E. Chandler, from February to October 1961.   He commanded the destroyer USS Taussig, from January 1962 to June 1963 during the Vietnam War.   He was the first African American to lead a ship into combat.  In 1967 he was the first African American to be promoted to captain, and then 1971 the first to reach the rank of rear admiral.

He commanded the Third Fleet in Hawaii and then transferred to Virginia to direct the Defense Communications Agency until he retired in 1980.

He received the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service, Navy Commendation Medal, WWII Victory Medal, the Korean Service Medal, and the United Nations Korea Medal.

He passed away in October 2004 after a stroke. 

Celebrating Black History Month: Jesse L. Brown, first African American to complete US Navy flight training

Jesse LeRoy Brown, born October 13, 1926 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, graduated as salutatorian of his high school.  Despite racism, he graduated from Ohio State University.  In 1946, he enlisted in the US Navy, first becoming a midshipman, and then earned his pilot wings on October 21, 1948.  He was the first African American to complete the US Navy's basic flight training program.

He was assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Leyte in January 1949.  The Leyte was ordered to the Korean Peninsula in October 1950.  On December 4, 1950, Brown's Corsair was shot down and he crash landed on a remote mountaintop. He survived the crash and his wingman Thomas Hudner intentionally crashed his plane to rescue Brown.  

Unfortunately, Brown was trapped inside the cockpit, and despite the attempts by Hudner to rescue him failed. He passed away, He was the first African American US Navy officer killed in the Korean War.

For his actions, Brown was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Purple Heart, and the Air Medal.

Happy birthday, astronaut Josh Cassada!

Josh Cassada, born July 18, 1973 in San Diego, California, went into space as pilot of SpaceX Crew-5 to the International Space Station in October 2022.  Prior to becoming astronaut, he conducted research at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, and became a naval officer.  He completed his flight training and flew in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

He was selected as an astronaut in 2013.  He spent over 157 days in space and participated in Expedition 68.  He returned to Earth in March 2023.

Happy birthday, astronaut Jeffrey Ashby!

Jeffrey Ashby, born June 16, 1954 in Dallas, Texas, has been into space three times.  He served in the navy, flying combat missions in Operation Desert Storm, Operation Southern Watch, and Operation Continue Hope.

His first space flight was aboard Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-93) as pilot in July 1999. He returned to Earth after almost 4 days in space.

His second mission was aboard Endeavour (STS-100) as pilot to the International Space Station in April-May 2001. He returned to Earth after almost 12 days.

His third and final mission was aboard Atlantis (STS-112) as commander to the International Space Station in October 2002.  He returned to Earth after almost 11 days in space.

Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawai'ian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month: James Smith, first Native Hawai'ian to win Medal of Honor

 

I cannot find much information on Seaman Smith.  He was born July 5(?), 1838 in Hawai'i prior to it becoming a US territory.  He immigrated to the US and joined the Navy.  He was stationed aboard the USS Kansas near Greytown, Nicaragua on April 12, 1872, when the ship's captain and several members of the crew were drowning.  

His citation states that "Smith displayed great coolness and self-possession at the time Comdr. A. F. Crosman and others were drowned near Greytown, Nicaragua, 12 April 1872, and by extraordinary heroism and personal exertion, prevented great loss of life."

I have not been able to find any information on the incident, so I don't know what happened or what Seaman Smith did at that time.

Smith was awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery July 9, 1872 making him the first Native Hawai'ian to win the honor.  

Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Susan Ahn Cuddy, first Asian American woman in the US Navy

Susan Ahn Cuddy, born January 16, 1915 in Los Angeles, California, was the first Asian American woman to join the US Navy.  Her parents immigrated from Korea to the US in 1902.  

She was accepted into the Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service on her second attempt and sent to the US Naval Reserve Midshipmen's School at Smith College in Massachusetts.  An astonishing feat considering anti-Asian sentiment and sexism ran high. in the country.

She joined the Navy in 1942 and became an instructor on flight simulators, and later she became the first female aerial gunnery officer, instructing male recruits in air combat tactics, during WWII.  

Ahn Cuddy was promoted to lieutenant and went to work for the US Navy Intelligence, the Library of Congress, and the National Security Agency. 

After her retirement, she spoke at Navy functions and Korean American community events, and was a breast cancer survivor. 

She died in June 2015 at the age of 100. 

Hasbro introduces G.I. Joe 1964

The toy company Hasbro introduced its line of action figures, G.I. Joe February 2, 1964. Initially, it represented four branches of the US military: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines.  The action figures were 12" in the beginning, but reintroduced in 1982 as a 3.75" scale and a background story involving the evil Cobra organization. 

Since the mindset in the 60s was that boys did not play with dolls, parents wouldn't buy their sons dolls, since they were for girls.  Hasbro always used the term "action figure" and never "doll" in the marketing of G.I. Joe. 

I remember the sailor figure had a beard (I think). I enjoyed many hours of playing with my G.I. Joe toys.  I watched the animated series in the 1980s some, and fell in love with Shipwreck.  He's still my favorite even though he wasn't in the original release.

G.I. Joe was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Pop Culture Hall of Fame in 2017.

Celebrating Black History Month: Lillian E Fishburne, first African-American female Rear Admiral

On February 1, 1998, Lillian Fishburne was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral by President Bill Clinton.  Born and raised in Maryland, Fishburne was commissioned an ensign after completing Womens Officer School in February 1973. She was assigned as the Personnel and Legal Officer at the Naval Air Test Facility in Lakehurst, New Jersey in August 1974 and assigned as a Navy Recruiter in Miami until November 1977.  She served as Commanding Officer, Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station in Key West, and assumed position as Chief, Command and Control Systems Support Division in Washington, DC.

She retired from the Navy in 2001.

Remembering astronaut Ken Mattingly (1936-2023)

Thomas "Ken" Mattingly, an American astronaut who went into space three times, passed away October 31. He was 87.  

Born in Chicago, Illinois, he moved with his family to Hialeah, Florida and soon, airplanes became an early fascination.  He graduated from Miami Edison High School in 1954 and received a BS degrees in aeronautical engineering from Auburn  University in 1958.  He then joined the navy and in 1966 he was selected as an astronaut.

He was scheduled to be the Command Module Pilot on the Apollo 13 mission, but he was removed form the mission because he had been exposed to German measles (which he didn't catch) and was replaced by Jack Swigert.  Mattingly did play a large role in helping the crew get safely back to Earth.

He was placed onto the crew of Apollo 16, the fifth lunar landing mission with John Young and Charlie Duke.  Mattingly and Young were the only two Apollo astronauts to fly on the Space Shuttle missions.  Mattingly carried out an EVA to retrieve film and data packages from the science bay on the side of the service module.

Mattingly served as commander of Columbia (STS-4) in June 1982, the fourth and final orbital test of Columbia.

He served as commander on Discovery (STS-51-C), a Department of Defense mission, in January 1985.

He retired from the Navy in 1986 as Rear admiral.  He passed away in Arlington, Virginia.

Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month: Eleuterio Marquez, first Hispanic American recipient of the Navy Cross

 

I had to do some checking on this one, because I was confused.  Eleuterio "Joe" Marquez is the first Hispanic recipient of the Navy Cross.  Frederick Riefkohl is the first Puerto Rican recipient of the Navy Cross.  

Marquez was born in Los Angeles and was just 19.  He had been in the navy for just a year before he was part of the force that landed on the island of Peleliu during WWII, in September 1944.  At the time, he was Pharmacist's Mate Third Class.  The force took heavy casualties and 59 corpsmen were kill in action.  Marquez established a station where he could administer first aid and plasma, and send wounded troops back to the ships.

In October 1944, Marquez and his unit climbed Bloody Nose Ridge to oust the Japanese from their fortifications.  One night, they came under heavy fire and Marquez was severely wounded, but he managed to start tending wounded. He worked through the night to tend to all of wounded.  

There is apparently a paranormal slant to this story but I won't expand on it.  Yet.

Marquez was awarded the Navy Cross, the first American of Mexican descent to receive the honor.  He passed away in 2015.

https://www.military.com/history/first-hispanic-navy-cross-recipient-was-corpsman-peleliu.html#:~:text=Marquez%20was%20awarded%20the%20Navy,in%202015%20at%20age%2090.

Celebrating Black History Month: Wesley A. Brown, first African-American to graduate from US Naval Academy

Wesley Anthony Brown, born April 3, 1927 in Baltimore, Maryland, became the first African-American to graduate from the United States Naval Academy in May 1949.  Five other black men had been admitted before him but never finished due to extensive hostility.  Brown also faced hostility but did not leave.  

He served for twenty years in the US Navy and participated in the Korean and Vietnam wars.  Brown retired in June 1969 as lieutenant commander.  

Brown passed away in Silver Spring, Maryland in May 2012.  The Wesley Brown Field House at the US Naval Academy is named in his honor. 

Celebrating Native American Heritage Month: James Young Deer, first Native American actor, director, writer, and producer

James Young Deer, born April 1, 1876 in Washington, DC as part of the Nanticoke tribe of Delaware, is the first Native American filmmaker/producer in Hollywood.  He joined the US Navy in 1898 and fought during the Spanish-American War, but was subject to racism.  

He began acting in 1909 in New York in short films such as The Falling Arrow and Young Deer's Bravery. In 1910 he was hired to direct for a French-based studio in Jersey city, whose movies were criticized that their movies were not realistic portrayals of the Old West.  Young Deer went to LA to make "Indian-themed" films.  It has been noted that his films portrayed the Native Americans in a favorable light, opposed to the "cliches of hostile Indian warriors or wagon train attacks".

Over his career, he acted in, wrote, or directed about 150 silent movies at Pathe's West Coast Studio. 

After about a year in England, he returned to the US, but westerns were less popular at that time.  He passed away in New York City in April 1946, and is buried as a veteran of the Spanish-American War.  

In 2008, the Library of Congress added White Fawn's Devotion, a film Young Deer wrote and directed, to the National Film Registry.

Celebrating Asian-American Heritage Month: Jonny Kim, Korean-American astronaut

Jonny Kim, born in 1984 to South Korean immigrants in Los Angeles, California, is an astronaut, a former Navy SEAL, and received a Doctor of Medicine from Harvard Medical School.  NASA announced that he is in training for a 2024 moon landing.

Sheesh!

Celebrating Black History Month: Frank Petersen, first African-American Marine Corps general

Frank Petersen, born March 2, 1932 in Topeka, Kansas, was the first African-American Marine Corps aviator and the first African-American Marine Corps general.

He enlisted in the US Navy in June 1950 and served as an electronics technician, but he vowed to a combat pilot.  He entered the Naval Aviation Cadet Program in 1951 and completed flight training in October 1952.  He accepted a commission as second lieutenant in the Marine Corps.  He served during the Korean War and the Vietnam War.  

In February 1979, he was promoted to brigadier general, the first African-American to achieve the rank in the US Marine Corps.  In May 1983, he was promoted to major general and in June 1986, to lieutenant general.  He was Commanding General, Marine Corps Combat Development Command in Quantico, VA in July 1988 when he retired.  

He passed away in August 2015 from lung cancer.