US Coast Guard Academy Parade Dress Blue Jacket worn by Cadet Merle Smith Jr.
date: label: Date
content: ca. 1966
name: label: Manufactured by
content: Jacob Reed's Sons, American, 1824 - 1983
label: Worn by
content: CMDR Merle J. Smith Jr., American, died 2021
label: Subject of
content: United States Coast Guard, American, founded 1790
notes: label: Caption
content: 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.
label: Description
content: A black USCG Academy Cade Parade Dress Blue jacket with two columns of gold buttons down the front. Eighteen buttons in total are sewn to the front of the jacket. The collar is piped in gold with two anchors attached to either side of the front of the collar. The anchors face out toward the shoulders. On either cuff is a small gold band above which is a gold stylized United States shield. At the back of each cuff are three gold buttons vertically stitched up the sleeve. Inside the left side near the front is a label in yellow print stitched to the interior lining that reads "TAILORED FOR THE/ UNITED STATES/ COAST GUARD/ ACADEMY/ by Jacob Reed's Sons/ FINE UNIFORMS - SINCE 1824."
place: label: Place used
content: New London, New London County, Connecticut, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Clothing and dress
label: Topic
content: Men
label: Topic
content: Military
label: Topic
content: Vietnam War, 1961-1975
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Clothing - Military Uniforms
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Merle J. Smith, Jr.
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2014.32.2
objectType: label: Type
content: uniforms
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: No Known Copyright Restrictions
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: wool (textile) with leather, metal, thread and plastic
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D: 31 3/4 × 19 1/2 in. (80.6 × 49.5 cm)