MCAS Cherry Point  –   Sailors and civilians serving aboard Naval Health Clinic Cherry Point gathered Friday, February 23, 2024 to honor Black History Month.

Members of the clinic’s Diversity Committee led the staff in an observance highlighting the history and legacy of “The Golden Thirteen.”

Hospital Corpsman Third Class Jeovony Cameron, a member of the Clinic’s Diversity Committee, presented vignettes of notable Black U.S. service members before describing the perseverance of “The Golden Thirteen,” their efforts to overcome adversity and their lasting contributions to the U.S. Navy.

In January, 1944, sixteen Black enlisted men assembled 1944 at Recruit Training Center, Great Lakes to undergo officer training.  Despite the odds stacked against them, all sixteen succeed in passing an accelerated version of the course.  Twelve of the

Black candidates commissioned as officers, one as a Warrant Officer and the remaining three were sent back to serve as enlisted Sailors with no explanation.  Those selected to serve as officers would become known as “The Golden Thirteen.”