By Emily Greene

WASHINGTON -- In 1963 the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. and spoke words which continue to resound across America. “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.’ I have a dream today.”

This year the national holiday commemorating the birthday of the late American civil rights leader is observed, Jan. 16. Long before King brought his vision of equality and peace to Americans, the military benefitted from the service of African Americans who answered the call of duty, including many who served with great valor and distinction in the medical ranks.

Dr. Louis Thompkins Wright made strides in military medicine which advanced global health initiatives. The son of a man born into slavery, Wright graduated from Harvard University School of Medicine in 1915. In 1917 he was commissioned as a first lieutenant in the Medical Section of the U.S. Army Officers Reserve Corps, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel during World War I. Among his many pioneering efforts was the introduction of the injection of the smallpox vaccine; a method which was eventually adopted by the Army as a medical standard for soldiers.

During World War II some 500 black nurses served in the Army Nurse Corps. In 1942 Della H. Raney was selected as the first black Chief Nurse in the ANC. Raney served in this position at Fort Bragg, N.C. and later held the position as Chief Nurse at Fort Huachuca, Ariz. Raney, a graduate of the Lincoln Hospital School of Nursing in Durham, N.C. served in the Army Nurse Corps until her retirement in 1978.

During the Vietnam War Army Spc. Clarence Eugene Sasser, a medical aidman, distinguished himself by providing assistance to wounded service members under enemy fire. Without hesitation, Sasser ran across an open rice paddy through a hail of fire to assist the wounded. Despite sustaining severe injuries to his legs, he dragged himself through mud to rescue another wounded soldier who was 100 yards away. Sasser reached the man, treated him and proceeded to encourage another group of soldiers to crawl 200 meters to relative safety. There he attended their wounds for five hours until they were evacuated. Sasser was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions.

In recent years, the nation has celebrated 60 years of desegregation in the armed forces and witnessed the election of the first black U.S. president. A memorial to Martin Luther King Jr. has been erected in Washington D.C. and African American men and women continue to make strides in military medicine.

In his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech in 1964 King spoke of his, “abiding faith in America and an audacious faith in the future of mankind.” Military medical professionals of all colors and backgrounds embody King’s faith.