Carl Maxie Brashear (January 19, 1931 – July 25, 2006) was the 1st African American to become a U.S. Navy Master Diver, rising to the position in 1970. His life story is dramatized in the 2000 motion picture Men of Honor, in which he was portrayed by actor Cuba Gooding, Jr. Brashear enlisted in the U.S. Navy on Feb 25, 1948, shortly after the Navy had been desegregated by President Truman. He graduated from the U.S. Navy Diving &amp; Salvage School 1954-1st African-American to attend &amp; graduate. He