Men of Honor is a 2000 biographical drama film directed by George Tillman Jr. The movie stars Cuba Gooding Jr. as Carl Brashear, a black US Navy diver, and Robert De Niro as his training officer, Billy Sunday. Carl Brashear dreams of becoming the Navy's first African‚ÄêAmerican master diving instructor, but he faces racial discrimination and prejudice from his fellow sailors, who do everything to make his life difficult.
Sunday is initially opposed to Brashear, seeing him as an inexperienced "token" who will jeopardize the reputation of the diving school, but Brashear is determined to prove him wrong. The two men eventually bond after several obstacles and set backs along the way, including a tragic accident that nearly cost Brashear his life.
Despite the prejudices, Brashear completes his diving training and becomes a certified master diver, earning the respect of his fellow sailors and commanding officers. He goes on to serve 31 years in the US Navy and retire as a Master Chief Petty Officer, the highest enlisted rank in the Navy at that time.
Men of Honor is an inspiring true story of perseverance, bravery, and honor in the face of adversity.