Pioneering black sailor James Graham, 90, dies
Photo credit: Steven Sunshine | Jim Graham, a Navy veteran and radio operator on the USS Mason, died in the Roosevelt home he shared with his wife, Barbara.
Pioneering black sailor James Graham dies
30 notable deaths of 2012
LI notable deaths
With World War II on the horizon, James Graham, then 19, knew America needed millions of patriots to defend the country's borders. Two days before the United States became involved in 1942, he left the Deep South, where he worked at a tobacco plant, and enlisted in the Navy.
But not even Graham realized the historic impact his service would have as he helped usher in a new wave of black sailors...
