US Coast Guard Dinner Dress Blue Jacket worn by Commander Merle Smith Jr.

Jacob Reed's Sons, American, 1824 - 1983 · 1988

Commander Merle J. Smith, Jr. became the first African American graduate of the United States Coast Guard Academy in 1966. While serving in Vietnam as a cutter commander, Smith became the first African American to command a U.S. warship in close-quarters combat and was awarded the Bronze Star for actions in 1969.