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Home Front: WoT
USS Gravely Christened in Pascagoula
2009-05-18
PASCAGOULA The late Vice Admiral Samuel Lee Gravely Jr. was honored during a Saturday christening ceremony as a pioneer in breaking down racial barriers in the U.S. Navy. The guided missile destroyer, DDG 107, is named after Gravely.

Gravely's wife, Alma, broke a bottle of champagne across the bow of the 509-foot long, 9,200-ton destroyer as about 2,000 people watched at the Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding shipyard in Pascagoula. The crowd was among the largest for a christening at the shipyard, said Bill Glenn, a company spokesman. The ceremonies typically have about 1,000 participants, he said.

Gravely enlisted in 1942 and served 38 years in the Navy. He served during World War II and in 1944 was commissioned an officer. In 1946, he was released from service but was recalled in 1949 and built a career of firsts in the Navy. He was the first African-Ameri can to command a warship and the first to command a warship in combat, according to information released by Northrop Grumman. Gravely was the first black admiral and the first African-American to command a U.S. Fleet.

Gravely opened many doors, said Rear Admiral Victor Guillory. "I don't think he ever intended to do that," said Guillory, who was one of six speakers. "He opened doors not only for minority officers, but really for anyone who wants to dream they can be more than perhaps people would assess them to be able to do.

"This ship will be around well into the middle of the century with the Navy. That's huge."

The Gravely is the 57th Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) Class of Aegis guided missile destroyers. It is the 27th in the class to be launched and christened at Northrop Grumman Ship building-Gulf Coast, according to the company.
Thank you, Admiral Gravely, for all your hard work and service.
Posted by:Steve White

#5  It was Memorial Day 2004, and it was magnificent. It was fun seeing 75-yr old men in their enlisted sailor suits. And I'm quite sure many of the men on the Mall that weekend had NEVER spoken about their experiences until that very event.

The actual Memorial is kinda eh, though. All the commissions it had to be approved by stripped a lot of the, y'know, *war* out of the War. No indication of why we got in, or how we got out.
Posted by: Seafarious   2009-05-18 19:33  

#4  military's close approximation to a merit-based system (as close as I've seen, even with warts)

Never heard a race and gender quota promotion board briefing referred to in that manner, but "warts" could be used I suppose.
Posted by: Besoeker   2009-05-18 07:21  

#3  After Port Chicago, the ammo handlers knew their share of carnage. Not to justify the racial practices of the time, but just to note that everyone who serves in wartime contributes to victory and runs some risk. Even PA.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2009-05-18 07:09  

#2  HST's executive order integrating the military is probably the least-known history milestone in racial equality matters. My unscientific and anecdotal but very extensive personal observation has been that the military's close approximation to a merit-based system (as close as I've seen, even with warts) has produced not just bosses and officers of every color and even gender, but more importantly, utter indifference among the ranks about such things. Which, uh, was the central goal and principle of the Rev. King (behold the squalid and obscene distortion of his legacy by those who currently primp in the mirror while citing his struggle).

I went down to the Mall the day before the WWII memorial was opened (forget the year, early 2000s). Planned to spend a few hours, spent 7 or 8 talking to WWII vets. A memorable one was a black retired preacher father of 8 from San Diego. He'd been on an ammo ship, had been on LCTs taking ammo in/bodies out on Iwo Jima. I'll always remember how he described his and his buddies' reaction - their (justified) if unexpressed resentment at being limited to a few jobs such as ammo handling was tempered by direct contact with the carnage wrought on the young Marines whose remains they transported.

I wonder if a great and obviously patient and wise man like Adm. Gravely would recognize the country he helped protect (except for those in uniform, of course) .....
Posted by: Verlaine   2009-05-18 04:14  

#1  USS GRAVELY CHRISTENED?

Gut nuthin.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2009-05-18 01:55  

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