Brashear was born in Tonieville, Larue County, Kentucky, the child of sharecroppers.[1]
[edit] U.S. Navy career
Brashear enlisted in the U.S. Navy on February 25, 1948, shortly after the Navy had desegregated. He graduated from diving school in 1954, becoming a U.S. Navy Diver.[1] He was not the first African-American U.S. Navy diver; he was, however, the first to attend and graduate from U.S. Navy Diving & Salvage School. In World War II there were 3 African-American U.S. Navy divers; however, none reached the status of U.S. Navy Master Diver. Master Chief Brashear was the first African-American U.S. Navy Master Diver. He was also the first amputee diver to be certified or recertified as a U.S. Navy diver.
[edit] Leg amputation and recovery
In January 1966, a hydrogen bomb was lost off the coast of Palomares, Spain after two U.S. Air Force planes collided during a refueling attempt, the Palomares hydrogen bombs incident. The Navy was called in to find and recover the bomb; and after 2-1/2 months of searching, the bomb was found.[2] On March 23, 1966, during recovery operations, a line used for towing broke loose, causing a pipe to strike Brashear's left leg below the knee, nearly shearing it off.[3] He was evacuated to Torrejon Air Base in Spain, then to Wiesbaden, Germany; and finally to the Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, Virginia. After persistent infections and necrosis, and facing years of recovery, Brashear convinced his doctors to amputate the lower portion of his leg. [2]
Brashear remained at the Naval Regional Medical Center in Portsmouth from May 1966 until March 1967 recovering and rehabilitating from the amputations. From March 1967 to March 1968, Senior Chief Brashear was assigned to the Harbor Clearance Unit Two, Diving School, preparing for return to full active duty and diving.[4] In April 1968, after a long struggle, he became the first amputee to be certified as a diver. In 1970, he became the first African-American U.S. Navy Master Diver, and served 10 more years beyond that, eventually achieving the rank of Master Chief Boatswain's Mate in 1971.[1][5]
God Bless him!
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