Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 2 October 2008 — Page 32

Page 32 • The Muncie Times • October 2, 2008

continued from page 31 hall); the same year that President Truman ordered the desegregation of U.S. armed forces. After seeing some Navy divers at work in 1950, Brashear started writing letters requesting admission to the Navy salvage diving school. His letters went unanswered, but he kept at it until he was admitted in 1954. As the only Black student at the school, Brashear was harassed and had his life threatened by his classmates and some commanding officers. But, again, his determination brought him through. He graduated the next year and began working as a salvage diver, recovering sunken aircraft, ships and ammunition. He got his general equivalency diploma in 1960, went into the Navy's deep-sea diving school and, after many attempts, passed the school's science tests and graduated in 1964. In 1966, he lost a leg in a diving mission in which he saved another diver from injury. But after incredibly arduous physical therapy, bucking the Navy's rules, he convinced the doctors to clear him for diving duty. In 1970, Brashear became a master diver. He retired from the Navy in 1979 and passed away in 2006.

News Briefs

“I christen you the USNS Carl Brashear.” With those words and one strong swing, Lauren E. Brashear, DaWayne's daughter and Carl's eldest granddaughter, broke a bottle of champagne on the hull of the ship. Then she, her mother, Linda R. Watkins-Brashear; her aunt Sandra E. Brashear; and DaWayne's partner, Joy S. Harris, gave a symbolic push, and the Navy's newest auxiliary dry cargo vessel slid down the ramp and into the bay, with horns blaring and red, white and blue balloons and streamers flying. The 689-foot, 42,000-ton, diesel-pow-ered ship - part of the Military Sealift Command fleet - will be manned primarily by civil service and civilian mariners and will carry everything needed to supply Navy warships. Having a Navy ship with her family's name is “a blessing and an honor,” said Lauren Brashear, 23. “But at the same time, I know that without Granddaddy going through all the things he went through, I would not be standing here. So I am thankful to him, and I just hope I can honor him as he should be honored.” Before the christening and launch, Navy officers, including Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead, Navy Master Chief Petty

Officer Joe R. Campa and Command Master Chief Kenneth Green of the Military Sealift Command, spoke about the historical significance of the day. “...What a great day for you, your family and our Navy,” said Adm. Roughead, addressing Lauren Brashear, who is the “sponsor” of the ship named in honor of her grandfather. “Christening a ship imbues it with the character of its namesake and its sponsor. It is an affirmation of our beliefs and our values.” Command Master Chief Green, who is African-American, described Carl Brashear's influence from a Black perspective. “Four decades ' ago, when I was a boy growing up in the segregated South, it was Black men like Carl Brashear who were the inspiration of 'colored people' like me,” Master Chief Green said. “The media didn't readily cover the heroic contributions and brave acts of great men like Carl Brashear. But you can bet on Sunday mornings at church services, we got to hear of the acts that made 'us' as a race of colored people proud of heroes like Carl Brashear.” Three Black men who were directly influenced by Carl Brashear's work attended the ceremonies in his honor: Retired Master Navy Divers

James Fenwick, Mike Washington and Lament King were all mentored by Brashear. “This is the apex of my Naval career and my life, because Carl was my mentor. It can't get any better than this,” said Fenwick, who spent 25 years in the Navy. “Looking around here today and seeing all these admirals and captains of color makes all of the trials and tribulations we went through worthwhile. It's good to know we were a steppingstone for them.” Rear Adm. Arthur J. Johnson is a 1979 Naval Academy graduate and one of those admirals of color Fenwick saw at the launch. He described the events in honor of Brashear as “living history” “For all of us who are just coming along, this is a chance to brush with the people who have paved the path that allows us to do what we're doing today,” Rear Adm. Johnson said. “Attending events like this is a refueling stop for me. It puts a little more gas in my tank. I can run a little bit farther and a little bit harder, trying to make things happen for the Navy and for our nation.” DaWayne Brashear sees a broader benefit of the recognition his father has received. “Let me tell you something, every time some-

body finds out that I'm my father's son, they immediately stand a little taller and want to shake my hand, and I'm talking about gang bangers to college students,” he says. “That's one reason why we've started this foundation for my dad. We just want to do things in the community. “I live in the inner city, in Newark, N.J., in 'The Bricks,' they call it. And his story is very inspirational to all people,” DaWayne Brashear says, “not just too young Black people, but to all people.” Celebrity nicknames (and titles)... from tlie silly to the sublime Behind most nicknames there is a story. The reasons for them can be logical, based on a reality aspect of the person, or they can be whimsical. That is part of the beauty of nicknames - they can range from the silly to the sublime, and everything in between. There is certainly no shortage of nicknames in the world of entertainment. Titles either. One of the more interesting nicknames is that of rapper/actor Mos Def (his real name is Dante Smith). He was in the habit of saying “most definitely!” So he decided to just shorten it to “Mos Def.” continued on page 33