CAPT Zeita Merchant, the outgoing Coast Guard Sector New York commander is shown being frocked to rear admiral lower half, during a ceremony at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in Manhattan, New York, April 22, 2024. Merchant is the first the first African American woman to achieve this rank in the nearly 234-year history of the military service. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Ryan Schultz)