From an article entitled “From Stewards to Admirals” comes this interesting vignette:

My own cousin, Henry Nivera who retired from the Navy and now resides in Titusville, Florida, must have sent in more than 10 applications before he was finally chosen. And for many, it was rough sailing mainly because of the racial issue. Of all the services in the U.S. Armed Forces, the Navy is the most tradition-bound and so it was slow in carrying out changes. Only in 1973, during the watch of Adm. Elmo Zumwalt Jr., youngest Chief of Naval Operations ever, were Filipinos given the right to enter any rank for which they qualified. Still, many remained as stewards and probably the most famous of them is Bayani Nelvis, a steward who was stationed in the White House during the Monica Lewinsky hearings who testified about “tissues with lipstick and other stains following a meeting between [then-President] Clinton and Monica.”