National Naval Officers Association的动态

Gerald Collins gets things done, and keeps his promises. On 15 April, he presented Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton several pictures of the Golden Thirteen, and she signed a proposed bill that he initiated and helped draft, to award them a Congressional Gold Medal. In 1982, he kept a promise to one of them, that he would get them an at-sea reunion on a Navy warship, and boy, did he deliver. In February of 2024, at the Navy History Museum, he told an audience that he was going to push for them to be awarded such medal. I was skeptical, and I told him so. Silly me. Again, he is delivering. The arc of this story is both amazing and inspiring. I have written about it in my book, and I believe that the wrong done to him needs to be acknowledged and corrected by the Navy. Easy as pie. For 50 years, the man who brought these men and their story to international attention was written out of the story. He deserves recognition for his contributions, and a medal from the Navy that he was denied, while others, who did comparatvely little, were not. It has been done before, and quite recently. Details in his book In the Shadow of the Golden Thirteen: A Nice Negro Story. Or, hit me up if you want more info and have suggestions. Thanks to National Naval Officers Association for getting behind this effort, and being in attendance at this event.