1st ABCT celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Photo By Sgt. SeoWon Lee | From left, Lt. Col. Darrell R. O’steen Jr., deputy commanding Officer for 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Lt. Col. Scott P. Knight, commander of 2nd Battalion, 9th Infantry (Mechanized), 1st ABCT, 2nd Infantry Division, and Sgt. 1st Class Mashanko R. Lowe, career counselor for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2-9th Infantry, cut a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration cake during the 1st ABCT Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Observance Luncheon at Warrior’s Club, Camp Casey, South Korea, Jan. 15. Soldiers honored King’s efforts in the American civil rights movement.  

CAMP CASEY, 41, SOUTH KOREA

01.15.2015

Story by Pfc. SeoWon Lee 

1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division

CAMP CASEY, South Korea – Soldiers celebrated the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Warrior’s Club, Camp Casey, South Korea, Jan. 15.

The observance included a documentary from Discovery Channel covering King’s life and describing his contribution to the equality and the civil rights movement in the United States.

The guest speaker, Sgt. 1st Class Mashanko R. Lowe, career counselor for 2nd Battalion, 9th Infantry (Mechanized), 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, also shared his stories of grandfather, Mack A. Larkins who served as a Buffalo Soldier with the 371st Infantry Regiment, 93rd Infantry Division (an all African-American unit) during World War I, at the event.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated on the third Monday in January to coincide with King’s Jan. 15 birthday. This day is exceptional because only two other Americans have national holidays in their honor.

“Dr. King was one of the driving forces behind the American civil rights movement and remains, to this day, an iconic figure in the world as a representative of a national movement that changed America,” said Lt. Col. Scott P. Knight, battalion commander of 2-9th Infantry during the opening remarks. “Federal offices, schools, banks across America all close to celebrate his birth, his life and the dream he had, honoring both his teachings and nonviolence as well as the equal rights. When we celebrate Dr. King’s dream, we celebrate the American dream.”

Knight explained King is not only to be remembered as a legendary figure, but his legacy and dreams shall be passed down to present and future generations.

“Martin Luther King Day symbolizes our nation’s commitment to a society based on the principles of freedom, justice and equality for all people,” said Knight. “Our Army constantly works to achieve this dream and vision by Dr. Martin Luther King half a century ago. It’s our strength, not only the strength of our nation, but strength of the Army because we embrace those strengths of a diverse people in our ranks. We also provide an inclusive environment. Soldiers join this force each year knowing that we will always endeavor to follow Dr. King’s example and honor his memory by reaffirming the commitment to the ideals that he championed.”

Sgt. 1st Class Richard Chapel, battalion equal opportunity leader for 2-9th Infantry, expected Soldiers to learn from King and know the history of the civil rights movement.

“The documentary video that we presented went from start to finish the civil rights movement and the struggles, the achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” said Chapel. “In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I wanted junior Soldiers to be able to see what he went through for a better tomorrow, and everything we have today, the equality and the voting rights, and all that stems from his struggles and what he fought for.”

As the United States and the Army continue to work toward making King’s dream a reality, there are programs in place to educate and enforce the standard of equal opportunity for everyone.

“We have organizations in our military to assist Soldiers, if they should be confronted with situations where they feel discriminated against,” said Lowe. “It’s our equal opportunity program. It is there to assist Soldiers in the event that they experience some issues with being discriminated or treated unfairly. An expectation (I have for Soldiers) would be to make sure that people walk away understanding where we’ve come from as a nation and as a military force. We are a more diverse force today due to the efforts of the civil rights movement.”

• Date Taken: 01.15.2015
• Date Posted: 01.19.2015 23:23
• Story ID: 152254
• Location: CAMP CASEY, 41, KR