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Alumni In Action
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By Kymberli Corprue
Navy Golden Thirteen Essay Contest
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| Tavis poses with students from King Drew Magnet High School and principal Michelle Rainey-Woods. |
A naval officer should be experienced, talented, intelligent, humble, well-rounded, and esteemed. A naval officer should be a leader. Frank E. Sublett Jr. has all of these qualities, but what makes him stand out the most is his easygoing attitude. I was first attracted to his story by the title: “Live and Let Live.” I immediately thought that he and I shared the same attitude, however, Mr. Sublett is more relaxed and tolerant than I am. Though I try to take things with a grain of salt, I often find myself making a fuss over the smallest issues. As I read Mr. Sublett’s story I felt outraged at some of his experiences, for instance, he was trained to be a naval officer, but he had no set duties. The Navy just stuck him anywhere and gave him busy work. Mr. Sublett wrote that, “Other people were making the decisions; we had to go along with whatever they said.” It was hard not to feel some sort of anger and frustration when reading this statement. Nevertheless, Mr. Sublett, always the leader, was optimistic and realized that these obstacles were part of a very significant portion of history.
Through his whole story, Mr. Sublett never insulted the Navy or a member of the Navy and he did not make a commotion over his newfound leadership position. Although, he was now above some white soldiers according to his rank, he did not abuse his power or use it as some warped way for revenge. The first black naval officers, despite the fact that their duties were not quite defined, held a very important role in the future of African Americans having the right to serve their country. Thirteen is no longer an unlucky number. In fact, the African American community is very lucky to have thirteen strong men who stood up and took a chance. The path between black people and the Navy is no longer paved with mops, buckets, and kitchen utensils. It is paved with choice, freedom, pride, and gold.
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