Merle Smith (1944–2021), first Black graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy

legacy.com:

Cmdr. Merle Smith was a U.S. Coast Guard veteran who was the first Black graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.Smith entered the Coast Guard Academy in 1962, playing football for the school as a defensive end.

He graduated with a degree in marine engineering in 1966. Smith went on to serve in the Vietnam War, where he rose to command the cutters Point Mast and Point Ellis, becoming the first Black officer to command a U.S.

warship in close quarters combat. He was honored with a Bronze Star for his service in Vietnam. After the war, Smith attended law school at George Washington University and taught law at the Coast Guard Academy, as well as coaching the football team.