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UNOFFICIAL COPY AS OF 05/05/17
08 REG. SESS.
08 RS BR 2518
A RESOLUTION honoring the late Master Chief Carl Maxie Brashear on the
United States navy's seventh Military Sealift Command ships, USNS Carl Brashear, being
named after him.
WHEREAS, the late Carl Maxie Brashear was born into sharecropper's family in
Tonieville, LaRue County, Kentucky on January 19, 1931; he was one of eight children
born to McDonald and Gonzella Brashear; and he left school after the seventh grade to
help in his family's tobacco, corn and wheat fields; and
WHEREAS, Master Chief Carl Maxie Brashear enlisted in the United States Navy
in 1948 shortly after the Navy had desegregated; in 1954, he became the first black man
to attend and graduate from U.S. Navy Diving & Salvage School; he was assigned to
handle aircraft for squadron VX-1 in Key West, Florida; he served on the escort carriers
Palau CVE-122 and Tripoli CVE-64; and he became the first black deep sea diver in the
United States naval history; and
Whereas, On March 23, 1966, Master Chief Carl Maxie Brashear suffered a
debilitating injury that resulted in the loss of his left leg below the knee onboard the USS
Hoist ARS-40, while attempting to recover a nuclear bomb off the coast of Spain after the
collision of two Air Force planes; his perseverance and tenacity propelled him to recovery
and to becoming one of the first amputees in the military to be restored to active duty in
1970; he was also the first amputee diver to be certified or recertified as a U.S. Navy
diver; and he officially retired from the U.S. Navy on April 1, 1979; and
Whereas, On July 25, 2006, Master Chief Carl Maxie Brashear departed this world
following respiratory and heart failure at the age of 75; and
Whereas, Master Chief Carl Maxie Brashear received many medals and decorations
for three decades of patriotism, valor, and service in the United States Navy; his awards
and decorations include the: Navy and Marine Corps, Navy Commendation Medal, Navy
Achievement Medal, Navy Good Conduct Medal(w/1 silver and 2 bronze service stars)
National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, China Service
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BR251800.100-2518
UNOFFICIAL COPY AS OF 05/05/17
08 REG. SESS.
08 RS BR 2518
Medal, Korean Service Medal, Navy Occupation Service Medal, Navy and Marine Corps
Presidential Unit Citation, United Nations Service Medal, and Korean War Service
Medal; and
Whereas, The USNS Carl Brashear will be commissioned in September 2008; the
ship's design is 689 feet in length, with an overall beam of 106 feet, a navigational draft
of 30 feet, and displaces approximately 42,000 tons of water; it is powered by a singleshaft diesel-electric propulsion system, and can reach a speed of 20 knots; the USNS Carl
Brashear will be manned primarily by civil service and civilian mariners working for the
U.S. Navy Military Sealift Command; and on October 24, 2007, the Newport News,
Virginia Fire Department also dedicated a 30-foot (9.1 m) high-speed fireboat named Carl
Brashear to be used by their Dive and Marine Incident Response Teams;
NOW, THEREFORE,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the General Assembly of the
Commonwealth of Kentucky:
Section 1.
The House of Representatives does hereby honor the late Master
Chief Carl Maxie Brashear for having a United States naval vessel named after him.
Section 2. When the House of Representatives adjourns this day, it does so in
honor of the late Master Chief Carl Maxie Brashear.
Section 3. The Clerk of the House of Representatives is directed to transmit a
copy of this Resolution to the family of the late Master Chief Carl Maxie Brashear, and
the Carl Brashear Foundation, P.O.Box 293, Sandston, VA 23150.
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BR251800.100-2518