NEW LONDON, Conn. — The first Black cadet to graduate from the Coast Guard Academy, Merle Smith Jr. has died.
He was 76. Smith's wife says he died on June 16 of complications from Parkinson’s disease and COVID-19. Smith commanded patrol boats in Vietnam, taught law classes at the academy in New London and retired from active-duty service with the rank of commander before joining the legal staff of submarine builder Electric Boat.
Academy superintendent Rear Adm. William Kelly said in an email to the campus community that Smith “served as a role model for countless cadets, faculty, and staff.”
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