Program Information

By the early twentieth century, despite its long history of racial accommodation, the U.S. Navy was aping the Jim Crow prejudice of American society. That began to change for good during World War II with the patriotic torrent of Negro recruits following Pearl Harbor -- and finally with the commissioning in June 1944 of the Golden Thirteen, the first black officers in Navy history.

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Transcript

Lead: For 400 years service men and women have fought to carve out and defend freedom and the civilization we know as America. This series on A Moment in Time is devoted to the memory of those warriors whose sacrifice gave, in the words of Lincoln at Gettysburg, the "last full measure."

Content: Despite its long history of racial accommodation, usually born of necessity since it was always having difficuty recruiting sufficient numbers of sailors, by the early twentieth century the U.S. Navy was aping the Jim Crow prejudice of American society. That began to changefor good during World War II, with the patriotic torrent of Negro recruits following Pearl Harbor and finally with the commissioning in June 1944 of the Golden Thirteen, the first black officers in Navy history.

The picture in "Life" magazine that year is matter-of-fact in its simplicity, but it marked a long struggle and the outcome of sometimes vigorous debate among the leaders of the U.S. Navy. Prior to 1899, the Navy had been more integrated than the other branches though blacks were usually relegated to menial tasks--cooks, servants, machinist’s mates, or oilers but the Navy did provide a career path for some African-Americans. With the coming of the 20th century and the growth of legal discrimination in American society, the number of blacks in the Navy was systematically reduced.

The manpower shortage during World War II put an end to that discrimination and soon blacks were flooding into the Navy. Pressure to provide an opportunity for black leadership also came from the top echelons. After much encouragement from the NAACP and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, President Franklin D. Roosevelt insisted that blacks be included in the V-12 program designed to train civilians as officers in the Navy. This was resisted by Sec. of the Navy Frank Knox who was an outspoken racist. Yet, Knox was not able to resist forever and in January 1944, 16 black enlisted men began an intensive 2-1/2 month training program at the Great Lakes Naval Station just outside of Chicago, Illinois.

The training was grueling, both intellectually and physically. Yet, the men stuck together and teamwork proved to be an important factor in their completion of the program. They eschewed the competition and used each individual’s knowledge and background to help the entire group. At night, even after lights out, the men would drill each other on knowledge and skills. This bonding experience was intense and the men formed lasting friendships with each other and with their commanding officer, Cmdr. E. Hall Downes, whose support was crucial to the success of the program.

In the end thirteen were chosen: The Golden Thirteen. The men came from various educational backgrounds and the decision process was apparently arbitrary because the men could not tell why they were chosen. The Golden Thirteen were: Charles B. Lear, Phillip G. Barnes, Reginald E. Goodwin, Dennis D. Nelson, Dalton L. Baugh, James E. Hair, Samuel E. Barnes, George C. Cooper, William S. White, Graham E. Martin, John W. Reagan, Jesse W. Arbor, and Frank E. Sublett, Jr.

Then the Navy then had a problem: What was the service going to do with these men? It was thought that they could not command white sailors so they were placed in charge of segregated units and were often given jobs that did not require the skills or training of an officer. They could not go to the Officers’ Club while in the United States, and often white sailors would refuse to salute the black officers or accord them the respect that was their due.

Nevertheless, the success of The Golden Thirteen hastened the eventual collapse of racial barriers within the Navy. That was confirmed in July 1948 when President Harry S. Truman issued Executive Order 9981 officially integrating the armed services. The path first trod by the Navy's first black officers became well-worn in the following decades, though even into the 21st century the number of black officers in the Navy still lags behind the African-American population percentage.

Research assistance by Ashleigh Greene.

Celebrating 15 years of broadcast, At the University of Richmond, I'm Dan Roberts.

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