King's legacy honored at Foster luncheon

Photo By Spc. Leigh Campbell | Maj. Gen. Mary Ann Krusa-Dossin congratulates essay winners during the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Luncheon Jan. 11 at the Butler Officers' Club. From left, the winners were fourth grader Elyssia Carter, eighth grader Amy Smith, Twelfth grader Lori Arden and fourth grader Kind Smith.  

CAMP FOSTER, JAPAN

01.23.2002

Courtesy Story

III Marine Expeditionary Force   

By Lance Cpl. David Rogers
III Marine Expeditionary Force PAO

CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA, Japan -- Service members and civilians gathered to celebrate the life and achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Jan. 11 during a luncheon at the Butler Officers' Club.

The official theme of this year's King remembrance was "A day on, not a day off." The theme was about a day of service, taking the time to do something for someone else, said Gunnery Sgt. Pamela Davis, the equal opportunity advisor for Marine Corps Base Camp Butler.

Maj. Gen. Mary Ann Krusa-Dossin, the commanding general of Marine Corps Base Camp Butler was the guest speaker at the event.

Lt. Charles Owens, the chaplain for Headquarters & Service Battalion, MCB, opened the luncheon with an invocation that was once presented by King.

Lance Cpl. Helena Fields, a specialist with the traffic management office, recited Jamie McKenzie's poem "Standing Tall," which was written as a tribute to King.

Davis introduced a video montage of King's days touring America for the Civil Rights Movement.

Four children from Department of Defense Dependent Schools on Okinawa were presented with awards for essays they wrote about King.

In her comments, Krusa-Dossin spoke about the price King paid for his leadership and how he is a symbol to humanity because he gave his all for the struggle against the sin of subjection.

"He once said, 'If a man hasn't discovered something he would die for, he isn't fit to live,'" Krusa-Dossin said.

Throughout the 11-year span of 1957 to 1968, King traveled over six million miles and spoke over twenty-five hundred times, appearing anywhere he felt there was an injustice that required action through peaceful protest. For his convictions, he was arrested nearly 20 times and assaulted at least four times. King directed the March on Washington D.C., where he delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech to 250,000 people in 1963. He was named Man of the Year by Time magazine in 1963. In 1964 he became the youngest man to receive the Nobel Peace Prize at age 35.

King was assassinated April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tenn. He was there to lead a protest march.

"One of my favorite but lesser known quotes (of King's) is 'The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy,'" Krusa-Dossin said.

• Date Taken: 01.23.2002
• Date Posted: 01.23.2007 13:47
• Story ID: 8906
• Location: CAMP FOSTER, JP