Alpha ON THE MOVE
Rear Admiral David L. Brewer III He was an honor graduate of Jones High School in Orlando, Florida, an indication that he would be O N T H E MOVE. David L. Brewer III was commissioned an ensign in the U. S. Navy in 1970, a member of the first graduating class of the first Navy ROTC unit at a historically black college or university, Prairie View A&M University. Ten Navy midshipmen were commissioned in this first class of graduates from Prairie View A&M and six of the eight who remained on active duty were promoted to Captain, one of the highest promotion rates to Captain for a Navy ROTC College in the history of the U. S. Navy. All six are Alpha Brothers: David Brewer, James Ealy, Kenneth Hinson, David Mosby, James Tarver, and Charles White. Brother Brewer achieved another milestone in his distinguished Navy career when in December 1993 he was selected for promotion to Rear Admiral, the same rank as Brigadier General in the Army, Air Force or Marine Corps. Brewer is one of only 15 African Americans selected for promotion to flag rank in the history of the U. S. Navy. He is O N T H E MOVE. Admiral Brewer's Naval career has been highlighted by the command of two ships—the tank landing USS BRISTOL COUNTY (LST 1198) and die Second Fleet flagship USS MOUNT WHITNEY (LCC 20). During his command tour of the USS BRISTOL COUNTY, Admiral Brewer's ship won die coveted Bat-
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de "E" Efficiency Award as the best ship in its class in the Pacific Fleet. That same year, 1988, he was named Special Assistant to the Chief of Naval Operations for Equal Opportunity. Brother Brewer's ship command in 1991-92 also resulted in several awards—"Outstanding" in combat systems performance, "best ship" in the Navy for public affairs, and "best ship" in die Adantic Fleet for community service. His personal awards include the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal (with gold star in lieu of second award), and the Navy Achievement Medal. Admiral Brewer was scheduled to receive the master's degree in National Security and Strategic Studies
4 A The Sphinx • Spring 1994
from the Naval War College in March 1994. He is O N T H E MOVE. Brother Brewer's distinction in public service parallels his distinction in the military. He has been president of the Washington, D C chapter of the National Naval Officers' Association which administered a Super Saturday Scholars Program that impacted 50 inner city junior high school students. As President of his church's Young Adults of Redeemer organization, Brewer inaugurated an OPTION program which nurtures junior and senior high school students in Washington, DC. The program has placed more than $10,000 in escrow to support student participants in further study.
Four years ago, the Washington, DC chapter of the NAACP awarded Brother Brewer the chapter's first Crispus Attucks Memorial Community Service Award. Brother Brewer is a member of the St. Mark Free Methodist Church, Orlando, Florida; the Church of the Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Washington, DC; U.S. Naval Institute, the Surface Navy Association, Prairie View A&M University Alumni Association, the National Naval Officers' Association, and of course, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Admiral David L. Brewer III is an Alpha O N T H E MOVE. He and his wife, the former Richardene R. Brown of Winnsboro, S.C., have one daughter, a junior high school student.