 Vice Admiral Samuel L. Gravely Jr. was a Navy surface warrior with the career of many firsts during a time of great racial change in the Navy. Shortly after enlisting in the Navy as a fireman apprentice during World War II, Vice Admiral Gravely was the first African-American to participate in the V-12 commissioning program. He served aboard a segregated submarine chaser until the end of the war. In 1949, he was called back to active duty to be a recruiter for the newly desegregated Navy. After serving on multiple ships during the Korean War, he transferred to active duty permanently in 1954. Making history as he achieved different ranks, he became the first African-American executive officer of a Navy ship, the destroyer USS Theodore E. Chandler in 1960, and commanding officer on January 31, 1961. Selected as the first African-American rear admiral in 1971, he took command of cruiser destroyer Group II and eventually the entire Third Fleet. Vice Admiral Gravely finished his career as the director of the Defense Communication Agency and retired after a distinguished 38-year career. Vice Admiral Gravely died in 2004. The destroyer USS Gravely has been named in his honor. His wife Alma Gravely agrees with the decision. He always wanted to become a skipper of the destroyer. That's why I'm happy that the Navy decided to build a destroyer for him because I don't know if he would be too pleased for any other ship, whether it was bigger or smaller. He loved destroyers. He loved to go to sea with them. From the Defense Media Activity, I'm Petty Officer Amara Timberlake.