Jacksonville Resolution Recipient, first Black Navy EOD technician honored at Pentagon

ActionNewsJax.com News Staff
·2 min read

Master Chief Boatswain’s Mate (BMCM) Sherman Byrd is being honored in the first-of-its-kind exhibit by the United States Department of Defense at the Pentagon.

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A ribbon-cutting ceremony at part of the corridor in the Pentagon took place on April 23. It honors the joint explosive ordnance disposal mission in which Byrd is prominently featured.

In 2022, he was honored with a Resolution in Jacksonville, where his daughter lives.

“I am overjoyed to see the historic naval contributions of my father be honored at the Pentagon,” Cynthia Byrd Conner, daughter of BMCM Sherman Byrd, who published the book on his career disarming bombs “Quiet Strong” several years ago and attended the Pentagon event said. “While he did not bring a lot of attention to himself, he was the epitome of a ‘sea daddy,’ mentoring young sailors until they became subject matter experts. He led by example while performing such a dangerous job, and he did it quietly.”

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More than three dozen members of the Byrd family attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

According to the Pentagon, Byrd joined the U.S. Navy in 1947, becoming the first Black American to graduate from EOD School in Indian Head, Maryland in 1958. He previously graduated from the Deep-Sea Diving School at Washington Navy Yard and Navy School Underwater Swimmers, in Key West, Florida. In 1969, he was promoted to Master Chief Boatswain’s Mate, a rank only 1 percent of all enlisted personnel achieve.

BMCM Byrd served on 10 ships and supported the Secret Service in the protection of U.S. President Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon.

“It’s truly an honor to officially open the Pentagon’s first and only explosive ordnance disposal exhibit,” Melissa Dalton, deputy undersecretary of defense for policy, said during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “The brave men and women who volunteer for this dangerous special duty are out there in our communities, on our military installations, traveling with the president and deployed across the world every day of the year.”

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The U.S. Navy’s EOD Division was formed after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Technicians who are part of the division disarm or make safe unexploded ordnances, both on land and underwater.

Byrd passed away at the age of 40 in 1971 from a heart attack following a physical training exercise in Virginia.

Master Chief Boatswain's Mate (BMCM) Sherman Byrd served on 10 ships and supported the protection of 4 U.S. presidents.
Master Chief Boatswain's Mate (BMCM) Sherman Byrd served on 10 ships and supported the protection of 4 U.S. presidents.
Family members of Sherman Byrd, the first African American Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Technician, attend the Pentagon EOD corridor exhibit unveiling in Arlington, Va., April 23, 2024. The EOD Exhibit is the first and only exhibit of its kind in the Pentagon and represents the history, mission, culture, and tools of the Joint EOD Force. (U.S. Army photo by Christopher Kaufmann)
Byrd graduated from the elite Naval Underwater Swimmer School in Key West, Florida.
Byrd graduated from the elite Naval Underwater Swimmer School in Key West, Florida.
Family members of Sherman Byrd, the first African American Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Technician, attend the Pentagon EOD corridor exhibit unveiling in Arlington, Va., April 23, 2024. The EOD Exhibit is the first and only exhibit of its kind in the Pentagon and represents the history, mission, culture, and tools of the Joint EOD Force. (U.S. Army photo by Christopher Kaufmann)
In 1969, Sherman Byrd was promoted to Master Chief Boatswain’s Mate, a rank that only 1% of all enlisted personnel achieve.
In 1969, Sherman Byrd was promoted to Master Chief Boatswain’s Mate, a rank that only 1% of all enlisted personnel achieve.
Family and friends attend the Pentagon Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) corridor exhibit unveiling in Arlington, Va., April 23, 2024. The EOD Exhibit is the first and only exhibit of its kind in the Pentagon and represents the history, mission, culture, and tools of the Joint EOD Force. (U.S. Army photo by Christopher Kaufmann)
Family and friends attend the Pentagon Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) corridor exhibit unveiling in Arlington, Va., April 23, 2024. The EOD Exhibit is the first and only exhibit of its kind in the Pentagon and represents the history, mission, culture, and tools of the Joint EOD Force. (U.S. Army photo by Christopher Kaufmann)
DMCM Sherman Byrd is being honored at the Pentagon.
DMCM Sherman Byrd is being honored at the Pentagon.
Family members of Sherman Byrd, the first African American Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Technician, attend the Pentagon EOD corridor exhibit unveiling in Arlington, Va., April 23, 2024. The EOD Exhibit is the first and only exhibit of its kind in the Pentagon and represents the history, mission, culture, and tools of the Joint EOD Force. (U.S. Army photo by Christopher Kaufmann)
Family members of Sherman Byrd, the first African American Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Technician, attend the Pentagon EOD corridor exhibit unveiling in Arlington, Va., April 23, 2024. The EOD Exhibit is the first and only exhibit of its kind in the Pentagon and represents the history, mission, culture, and tools of the Joint EOD Force. (U.S. Army photo by Christopher Kaufmann)
Melissa Dalton, performing the duties of Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, and Thomas Vail, Senior EOD Plans and Policy Analyst, cut the ribbon at the Pentagon’s new Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) corridor exhibit during its unveiling in Arlington, Va., April 23, 2024. The EOD Exhibit is the first and only exhibit of its kind in the Pentagon and represents the history, mission, culture, and tools of the Joint EOD Force. (U.S. Army photo by Christopher Kaufmann)

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