USCG to Honor First Enlisted African-American Woman
Posted by Eric Haun
June 9, 2015
Dr. Olivia J. Hooker (USCG photo)
The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) will name its headquarters-based training center in honor of the first African-American woman to enlist in the service.
Dr. Olivia J. Hooker joined the U.S. Coast Guard in 1945 as part of the World War II Women's Reserve, whose members were called SPARs for "Semper Paratus, Always Ready." Hooker was honorably discharged in 1946 as a petty officer second class after the SPAR program disbanded.
The naming ceremony will be held Thursday, June 11 at U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
