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Carl Brashear

Brashear, BMCM Carl M., U.S. Navy (Ret.)
Brashear, BMCM Carl M., U.S. Navy (Ret.) (Credit: US Navy)


“It’s not a sin to get knocked down; it’s a sin to stay down.” – Carl Brashear

Carl Brashear, the first black U.S. Navy diver, overcame a humble upbringing, racial discrimination and physical limitations to make extraordinary achievements above and below the sea. Brashear seemed to make history each time he zipped on a wet suit. He became the U.S. Navy’s first black master diver; he was the U.S. Navy’s only amputee master diver; and he was one of only seven enlisted men whose oral histories are profiled by the U.S. Naval Institute. Cuba Gooding Jr. portrayed Brashear in the 2000 film “Men of Honor,” a film about Brashear’s remarkable life. Brashear died of heart failure in 2006 at age 75.

“The African-American community lost a great leader today in Carl Brashear,” Gooding told the Associated Press. “His impact to us as a people and all races will be felt for many decades to come.”

Carl Brashear and Cuba Gooding Jr. on the set of 20th Century Fox's Men of Honor.
Carl Brashear and Cuba Gooding Jr. on the set of 20th Century Fox's Men of Honor. (Credit: Courtesy of Southeastern Louisiana University)


Brashear grew up in Harding County, Kentucky, the son of a sharecropper. As a child, he loved the water and many times he went swimming instead of going to school. In 1948, at age 17, Brashear joined the U.S. Navy as a steward – and he faced a myriad of racial challenges.

“I went to the Army office, and they weren’t too friendly,” Brashear said in a 2002 interview. “But the Navy recruiter was a lot nicer. Looking back, I was placed in my calling.”

Brashear quickly decided after boot camp that he wanted to become a deep-sea diver.

“Growing up on a farm in Kentucky, I always dreamed of doing something challenging,” he said. “When I saw the divers for the first time, I knew it was just what I wanted.”

After submitting his request to attend diving school, the Navy personnel officer told him the Navy did not have any “colored” deep sea divers.

“The Navy's about ready to have one!” Carl replied. It took him several requests but finally, in 1953, he was enrolled in the deep-sea diver program. When he arrived at the Navy’s Salvage school in Bayonne, New Jersey, the training officer assumed he was there to be a cook in the mess hall. In 1954, Brashear graduated from the diving program, despite daily battles with discrimination, including having hateful notes left on his bunk.

A U.S. Navy sailor fits Master Chief Petty Officer Carl Brashear with a diving suit prior to a training mission.
A U.S. Navy sailor fits Master Chief Petty Officer Carl Brashear with a diving suit prior to a training mission.(Credit: Courtesy of Philip Brashear)


Twelve years later, in 1966, Brashear was assigned to recover a hydrogen bomb that dropped into waters off of Spain when two U.S. Air Force planes collided.

During the mission Brashear was struck below his left knee by a pipe that the crew was using to hoist the bomb out of the water. Brashear was airlifted to a naval hospital where the bottom of his left leg was amputated to avoid gangrene. It later was replaced with a prosthetic leg.

The Navy was ready to retire Brashear from active duty, but he soon began a grueling training program that included diving, running and calisthenics.

After the amputation, Carl was decorated with a Navy and Marine Corps Medal for heroism in saving lives.
After the amputation, Carl was decorated with a Navy and Marine Corps Medal for heroism in saving lives. (Credit: Courtesy of Philip Brashear)


“Sometimes I would come back from a run, and my artificial leg would have a puddle of blood from my stump,” Brashear said in 2002 when he was inducted into the Gallery of Great Black Kentuckians. “I wouldn’t go to sick bay because they would have taken me out of the program.”

Brashear retired from the Navy in 1979 after more than 30 years of service. He was the first Navy diver to be restored to full active duty as an amputee.

On September 18, 2008, more than 3,000 people visited the Navy shipyard in San Diego, California, to witness history: The seventh Lewis and Clark class Auxiliary Dry Cargo/Ammunition ship was officially given the name of USNS Carl Brashear.

Lauren Brashear, eldest grand-daughter of the late Carl Brashear, christened the vessel by breaking a bottle of champagne across the ship’s bow. Academy Award winning Actor Robert DeNiro, along with other Hollywood notables from the movie “Men of Honor,” attended the ceremony.

“We thought that having a movie made about his life might be the pinnacle, but I think this has pretty much exceeded that,” DaWayne Brashear, Carl’s son, said during the 2008 ceremony.

“All my dad wanted was to do his duty, honor the Navy and be the best diver that he could possibly be,” Brashear said. “And I don't think in his wildest dreams he thought he would have this honor bestowed on him. But here we are.”

Related Resources:

Carl Brashear U.S. Navy resume

Diving Heritage profile of Carl Brashear

Carl Brashear foundation

Men of Honor

USNS Carl Brashear (T-AKE 7)

 

  
 
 
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