MLK Jr.; a hero, an example and an inspiration to many Soldiers

Courtesy Photo | BAQUABAH, IRAQ (January 3, 2006) -- First Lt. Margie Brown. (Spc. Lee Elder, 133d Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)  

BAQUBAH, IRAQ

01.10.2006

Courtesy Story

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Spc. Lee Elder
133d Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

FORWARD OPERATING BASE WARHORSE, IRAQ (Jan. 3, 2006) " On the 20th anniversary marking the nation's first observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1986, many Soldiers here still point to the slain civil rights leader as a hero, an example and an inspiration.

Some 4th Infantry Division Soldiers stationed here remember King only from their history lessons or stories told to them by their parents, grandparents and pastors. While others have first-hand memories of King and the turbulent civil rights era.

One of those is Sgt. 1st Class Reginald Hayes who is force protection noncommissioned officer in charge for 64th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd/8th Heavy Brigade Combat Team. He recalled growing up in Albany, Ga., when a planned march by King was blocked by local police. However, the setback just inspired local civil rights advocates to do more.

"The fallout from that eventually spread throughout that town and equality eventually came at a slow pace," Hayes said. "It's still coming true today."

Hayes remembered being in a barber shop when word came of King's assassination. King died after being shot in Memphis, Tenn., in April, 1968.

"I remember my parents, aunts and uncles were affected tremendously by that," Hayes recalled. "It was very painful.

"His death impacted them very severely."

As more time passes since King's demise, Hayes said it is important that all Americans remember King for the man he was. He should not be confined to being merely a figure in history.

"He's more than just a picture," Hayes said.

Despite King's death at age 38, his legacy continues. Several Soldiers said they owed much of the success they have achieved to King's efforts.

Among them is 1st Lt. Margie Brown who serves as the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division's provost marshal and force protection officer. An Oakland, Calif., native, she was an enlisted personnel specialist before going to Officer Candidate School in 2002 and earning a commission as a military police officer. She also did back-to-back tours Cuba and in Operation Iraqi Freedom I before her current assignment.

"He made a better life possible for me as an ethnic female," Brown said. "He gave me more opportunities in life overall."

Sgt. 1st Class Jeffrey Cherry is a Staten Island, N.Y., native who serves in the 3rd BCT's logistics office as the noncommissioned officer in charge. He agreed with Brown.

"Personally, I felt like he has allowed me to attain any and every goal I would like to attain in my life," Cherry said. "He has opened the doorways to a lot of Americans of all ethnicities to obtain a better opportunity in their lifetime."

King has also been an inspiration to Command Sgt. Gerald Kinloch throughout his 22-year military career. A Charleston, S.C., native, he is serving his third tour in the Middle East after a tour during the Persian Gulf War and OIF I.

"I've had a great opportunity in the Army and he laid the opportunity for the rest of us," Kinloch said. "Dr. King had a big impact on where I am at today and where I was before.

"I believe his legacy will continue to go on and I am one of those folks who will continue to live his legacy for him."

Chief Warrant Officer Louis Nash was born six years after King's death. He has been inspired by King's speeches and often talks to his three children about King's contributions to American society.

"It's endless," Nash said of King's legacy. "There's no real time period you can place on it."

Nash said he believed that King's place in American history was sealed with his famous "I Have A Dream" speech before a huge rally in Washington, D.C. Several of those interviewed cited words or phrases from the speech.

"It's something every one can learn from," Nash said. "Just listening to that speech inspires you to seek equal justice for everyone."

For his part, Hayes said he believed King's quest was successful. However, there is more to be done.

"His dream that all people that all people are created equal and that become a true testament in the U.S.," Hayes said. "We have a reached a point where we take down the color barriers and look at another based on the content of our character, to coin a phrase."

• Date Taken: 01.10.2006
• Date Posted: 01.10.2006 09:19
• Story ID: 5033
• Location: BAQUBAH, IQ