US Coast Guard Dinner Dress Blue Jacket worn by Commander Merle Smith Jr.
date: label: Date
content: 1988
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 United States Coast Guard Commander's dinner dress blue jacket worn by CMDR Merle J. Smith, Jr. Each sleeve has three gold stripes and a United States shield at the cuff. Each side of the jacket has an angled row of three gold buttons, with one button missing from the proper right side. Two more smaller gold buttons are at the center of the jacket opening. Inside the proper left side near the front is a label in yellow print stitched to the interior lining: "TAILORED FOR THE / UNITED STATES / COAST GUARD / ACADEMY / by Jacob Reed's Sons / FINE UNIFORMS - SINCE 1824."
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Clothing and dress
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: 2014.32.1
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: 32 × 19 3/4 in. (81.3 × 50.2 cm)