Lear, Charles B.
Warrant Officer, USNR, (in service, 1944)
In February 1944, the Navy commissioned its first African-American officers. This long-hoped-for action represented a major step forward in the status of African-Americans in the Navy and in American society. The twelve commissioned officers, and a warrant officer who received his rank at the same time, came to be known as the "Golden Thirteen".
The following pictures feature the "Golden Thirteen", as a group and as individuals.
- Additional pictorial coverage African Americans and the U.S. Navy
- African-Americans and the U.S. Navy during World War II
