Junetta wilcoxson brashear

He was the sixth of the 16 children of McDonald and Gonzella Brashear. InBrashear enlisted in the United States Navy. Brashear faced racial hostility while in the institution, where he would find threatening notes on his bunk. He received encouragement to finish from Harry M. Rutherford, graduating 16 out of He first worked as a diver to retrieve an estimated His first tour of shore duties included salvaging airplanes and recovering dead bodies from the sea.

The president gifted him a junetta wilcoxson brashear knife with a thank-you inscription. He became chief in and stayed at Guam doing demolition dives. In JanuaryBrashear was one of those assigned to retrieve the missing bomb during the Palomares incident. He got awarded the Navy and Marines Medal for his service in helping recover the bomb.

Brashear suffered a leg injury during the bomb recovery, and he remained at the Naval Regional Medical Center to recover and rehabilitate. His lower left leg had suffered severe injuries; it had to be amputated. Always looking for a way to serve in her community June completed the initiation requirements for the Order of the Eastern Star and was a distinguished long standing member.

Junetta Brashear was predeceased by her husband of 28 yrs. She leaves behind to celebrate her three remaining sons Dawayne, Phillip Sandyand Patrick. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Jenean Hampton, Veterans Center Administrator Israel Ray, members of the Brashear family, [ 20 ] along with members of the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association who nominated and worked to collect over 7, signatures in support of naming the center after Brashear.

Cuba Gooding Jr. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikidata item. One of the first African Americans to become a U. Navy Master Diver. Early life and education [ edit ]. Career [ edit ]. This section needs additional citations for verification.

Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. April Learn how and when to remove this message. Leg amputation and recovery [ edit ]. Retirement [ edit ]. Personal life [ edit ]. Carl Brashear Foundation [ edit ]. Decorations and awards [ edit ]. Navy and Marine Corps Medal citation [ edit ].

Honors [ edit ]. In popular culture [ edit ]. Notes [ edit ]. The Virginian-Pilot. Archived from the original on 2 November Retrieved 26 July Navy profile, NHC, The New York Times.

Junetta wilcoxson brashear

Retrieved 18 May At 17, he tried to join the Army in earlybut the Army did not want him. The Navy was more welcoming, and he enlisted in February The military would be officially desegregated in June of that year. Brashear, USN Ret. United States Naval Institute. Archived from the original on 14 April