Submariner James Mosley To Be Inducted Into Connecticut Veterans Hall Of Fame

Navy Veteran, Senior Chief James M. Mosley, is about to be inducted into the Connecticut Veterans Hall of Fame. 

On Friday, November 1, Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman and Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner Linda Schwartz will preside over the annual induction ceremony at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford. 

The Hall of Fame recognizes distinguished veterans who have made significant contributions to their communities after leaving military service, and it's not hard to see why Mosley was chosen. 

Now 83, this Waterford resident joined the Navy in 1948 and served until 1968, first aboard the USS Skipjack and then on the USS Thomas Edison at the height of the Cold War. He was the first African- American Medical Corpsman to graduate from the Naval Nuclear Power Engineering School and among the first to serve in the Navy's submarine service. 

Earlier this year, Mosley was interviewed by Congressman Joe Courtney in front of an audience of students at New London High School about his experiences both in the service and beyond. The interview was recorded as part of the Library of Congress's Veterans History Project. It wasn't the first time Mosley had shared his story. He's also the author of a memoir, Life Under the Microscope as an African-American.
After leaving the Navy, Mosley went to work in the purchasing department at Electric Boat, where he stayed for 24 years. He told the students his proudest achievement was when, as the Minority Business and Small Business Administrator for Electric Boat Division, he secured the first contracts for EB from companies owned by African Americans, women, and Native Americans.

Mosley is one of 10 honorees who will be inducted into the Connecticut Veterans Hall of Fame on Friday. The others are: 

• John H. Bannan, (Posthumously) Simsbury – U.S. Army
• George H. Breuler, Ashler Village – U.S. Army
• John (Jack) G. Casey, Groton – U.S. Navy
• Miguel A. Escalera, Sr., Clinton – U.S. Army
• Charles P. Gallagher, East Haven – U.S. Army
• Robin L. Montgomery,  Brookfield – U.S. Marine Corps
• Michael A. Thomas, New Haven/Milford – U.S. Navy
• William F. Vornkahl III, Westport – U.S. Army
• Robert J. Young , Danbury – U.S. Navy 

The induction ceremony is open to the public and will be held in the Atrium of the Legislative Office Building, 300 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, on November 1 at 4:30 p.m.