Navy Master Chief Billy Sunday
Though de niro s character the boorish commander billy sunday is a composite of two specific naval instructors brashear had at the navy s new jersey diving school one a racist and the other.
Navy master chief billy sunday. As a crew member of the salvage ship uss hoist where he is assigned to the galley he is inspired by the bravery of one of the divers master chief petty officer leslie william billy sunday. There was a preacher by the same name who cleaned up chicago of all the whoring spics drunken wops and motherfucking niggers that was making that place unfit for decent white folks to live. Bmcm mdv brashear retired from the u s. He eventually also earned the rank of master chief himself.
Anyway in the film a badly beaten billy is being held by military police for going awol. He is determined to overcome racism and become the first black american navy diver even proclaiming that he will become a master diver. No according to the film s press kit the character of master diver billy sunday in the movie men of honor portrayed by robert de niro is a fictional composite of several different sailors. Navy master chief leslie william sunday.
My name is master chief billy sunday. According to the film s press kit the character of billy sunday who was a master chief navy diver and instructor at the diving school in the movie was a composite of various navy men in the film s press notes screenwriter scott marshall smith wrote this isn t a connect the dots biography. Although we don t know his name is leslie until much later most people just call him master chief billy sunday. In the 2000 film men of honor the character leslie william billy sunday portrayed by robert de niro is a u s.
Truman had the courage and forward thinking and enlightenment to desegregate the united states military. Navy on april 1 1979 as a master chief petty officer e 9 and master diver. Leslie william billy sunday. The movie begins with robert deniro s character u s.
He then served as a civilian employee for the government at naval station norfolk norfolk virginia and retired in 1993 with the grade of gs 11.