Photo By Bethany Huff | Members of the Forward Operating Base Iskan States Choir sing "We Shall Overcome"...... read more read more
By Pfc. Bethany L. Little
Multi-National Division - Center
FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq – Soldiers on Forward Operating Base Kalsu joined together Jan. 16 to celebrate the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Members of the 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, attended a prayer breakfast Jan. 16 at the Blackhawk Inn dining facility.
The event began with a short video, a song from the FOB Iskan States Choir and a prayer from Chaplain Capt. Kevin E. Nagy. After the prayer, Lt. Col. Steven Miska, Black Scarves commander, spoke about how Americans will pause to reflect on this holiday, especially with the elections this year.
Guest speaker, 2nd Lt. Richard Dwyer, spoke of King's achievements and how they affected the way Americans live today. Dwyer, who was a member of the same fraternity to which King once belonged, mentioned how King's accomplishments in the Civil Rights Movement affected his fraternity.
"I hope I provoked your thoughts today, and I hope you will ask questions about the things you learn today," Dwyer said.
Dwyer then turned the floor over to a panel of six Black Scarves Soldiers who were selected to discuss how King has touched their lives.
Each of the panel members told stories about the effect King and his actions had on their lives. They also described how things may be different if he had not pushed for these changes in society.
"If Dr. King had not worked toward racial equality, I probably would not be in this room right now," said Pfc. Marcus Aaron, a panel member.
Nagy then asked the Soldiers in the audience to describe how they felt about either what was said or how King has personally affected their lives.
Cpl. Donald S. Burgess, a petroleum fuel specialist for 1st Bn., 2nd Inf. Regt., told the audience about how he moved around and saw the differences between the places he lived.
"Racial equality is the future; it is no longer just a dream," Burgess said.
After the panel members and audience spoke, three members of the FOB Iskan States Choir performed an interpretive praise dance. The choir members used various movements to visualize key words throughout the song.
Nagy closed the ceremony by reading an excerpt from 1st Corinthians, Chapter 13. He briefly discussed how the verses help Soldiers to understand what King did, how he loved, his compassion, how he never quit and how he continued to drive on with his mission.
"I hope that the Soldiers leave here with inspiration, hope and confidence," said Nagy. "I hope they are able to see the change in America and realize that it can happen anywhere in the world."
| Date Taken: | 01.20.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 01.20.2009 03:22 |
| Story ID: | 29038 |
| Location: | ISKANDARIYAH, IQ |
| Web Views: | 246 |
| Downloads: | 223 |
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