Carl Maxie Brashear was the first African American

African American

African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...

 to become a U.S. Navy Master Diver

Master Diver (United States Navy)

The United States Navy Master Diver is the highest warfare qualification obtainable by a member of U.S. Navy diving community. A Master Diver has the most experience and knowledge on all aspects of diving and underwater salvage.-Designation:...

 in 1970.
Brashear was born on January 19, 1931, in Tonieville, Kentucky

Tonieville, Kentucky

Tonieville is a small unincorporated town in LaRue County, Kentucky, United States, in the central part of the state. The community is part of the Elizabethtown, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area...

, the sixth of eight children to sharecroppers

Sharecropping

Sharecropping is a system of agriculture in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crop produced on the land . This should not be confused with a crop fixed rent contract, in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a fixed amount of...

 McDonald and Gonzella Brashear. In 1935, the family settled on a farm in Sonora, Kentucky

Sonora, Kentucky

Sonora is a city in Hardin County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 350 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Elizabethtown, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Sonora is located at ....

. Brashear attended Sonora Grade School from 1937 to 1946.
Brashear enlisted in the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 on February 25, 1948, shortly after the Navy had desegregated. He graduated from the U.S.