Funeral is Friday for first Black cadet to graduate from the Coast Guard Academy
A funeral service for retired U.S. Coast Guard Commander Merle J. Smith Jr. will be held at 3 p.m. Friday at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy Chapel.
Smith was the first Black cadet to graduate from the Coast Guard Academy and the first African American officer to command a U.S. warship in close quarters combat. He died last month at the age of 76.
In accordance with academy COVID-19 protocols, attendees will be required to provide a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 vaccination record card or a negative COVID-19 test taken 72 hours before the funeral service for seating within the chapel. Verification of COVID-19 requirements will occur at the Deshon Street Gate.
Unvaccinated individuals or individuals who cannot provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test will not be able to enter the chapel and instead will be required to view the service socially distanced and masked via livestream in Leamy Hall Auditorium.
The funeral service will be available on livestream and can be viewed at bit.ly/mjsmithfuneral.
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