Samuel L. Gravely, Jr. Lambert M Surhone

Publisher Marketing: High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Vice Admiral Samuel Lee Gravely, Jr. (June 4, 1922 - October 22, 2004) was an African-American Navy pioneer - the first African American in the U. S. Navy to be commissioned an officer, the first to serve aboard a fighting ship as an officer, the first to command a Navy ship, the first fleet commander, and the first to become an admiral. Samuel Gravely was born on June 4, 1922 in Richmond, Virginia. Gravely spent two years at Virginia Union University, where he was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans. Following his time in college, he enlisted in the Naval Reserves on September 15, 1942 and was trained as a Fireman Apprentice. In 1943, he participated in the Navy V-12 program, which was designed to select and train Naval officers. As part of this training, he attended the University of California in Los Angeles, Pre-Midshipman School in New Jersey, and Midshipmen School at Columbia University. On December 14, 1944, Gravely successfully completed midshipman training, thereby becoming the first African American commissioned as an officer from the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps.