Log In | Register
There were a total of thirteen men that were commissioned. They were soon known as the "Golden Thirteen." The group consisted of John Walter Reagan, Jesse Walter Arbor, Dalton Louis Baugh, Frank Ellis Sublett, Graham Edward Martin, Charles Byrd Lear, Phillip George Barnes, Reginald E. Goodwin, James Edward Hair, Samuel Edward Barnes, George Clinton Cooper, William Sylvester White, and Dennis Denmark Nelson.
The Story of the U.S. Navy's Golden 13
Seeded on Wed Jul 20, 2011 4:14 PM EDT
Article Source: associatedcontent.com- Enjoy this article? Help vote it up the 'Vine.
- Public Discussion (4)
Up until this time, there were approximately one hundred thousand African-American men serving in the United States Navy. However, none of those men were naval officers.
The history of the Navy's Golden 13 is a story of triumph.
CoH Please.
- 1 vote
#1 - Wed Jul 20, 2011 4:18 PM EDTIncluded is additional information which show the accomplishments of the Golden 13 to be even more remarkable than they first appear.
http://koncretemessages.blogspot.com/2008/03/have-you-ever-heard-of-golden-13-maybe.html
Finally, the day came for the final comprehensive test of Officer Candidate School. When their test results went to the Pentagon, there was consternation and disbelief. The Golden 13 had scored the highest grades that had ever been recorded in Navy history and still stands as the best Record ever recorded in the Navy.The poisonous legacy of generations of Jim Crow had seeped into the WHITE American mindset. The Golden 13 were challenging that mindset, and in the process, challenging segregation, Jim Crow, and the entire status of African Americans in the United States.
The officials still did not want to give props to the Golden 13 that scored greatly on the test and an order from Washington, D.C.: made them take the test again! Although the new test was harder and tougher the Golden 13 scored higher than they did before and so they remain at the top.
Finally, the day came for the final comprehensive test of Officer Candidate School. When their test results went to the Pentagon, there was consternation and disbelief. The Golden 13 had scored the highest grades that had ever been recorded in Navy history and still stands as the best Record ever recorded in the Navy.The poisonous legacy of generations of Jim Crow had seeped into the WHITE American mindset. The Golden 13 were challenging that mindset, and in the process, challenging segregation, Jim Crow, and the entire status of African Americans in the United States.
The officials still did not want to give props to the Golden 13 that scored greatly on the test and an order from Washington, D.C.: made them take the test again! Although the new test was harder and tougher the Golden 13 scored higher than they did before and so they remain at the top.
Hearing of things like this just makes me feel like crying - for all of the harassment, abuse, verbal slights and putdowns that I know they had to get past in order to shine as brightly as they have.
Then on the other hand, just tears of pure joy for their triumphs in spite of all of the effort expended to prevent them from succeeding.
When I first saw the story I thought it might have something to do with that movie "Men of Honor" with Cuba Gooding Jr. and Robert Duval about the first African American navy diver but the story is much more involved than just that and the ending had me in tears.
So thanks for helping me get smarter today and also for the FR which I am happy to accept.
- 1 vote
#2 - Thu Jul 21, 2011 4:39 AM EDTThanks for your kind comments and accepting the FR.
The Golden 13 is part of a larger story in which African Americans had to overcome the indignities of racial injustice in order to serve their own country; a country at the time that allowed abuse to flourish against African Americans via an institutionalized system of Jim Crow. Without the triumphs of highly dedicated and successful African Americans like the Golden 13, the world in which we live would be quite different.
#3 - Thu Jul 21, 2011 8:14 AM EDTYou're in Easy Mode. If you prefer, you can use XHTML Mode instead. |
As a new user, you may notice a few temporary content restrictions. Click here for more info.
