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    Army soldiers commemorate Dr. King’s accomplishments on Okinawa

    Master Sgt. Layne dramatizes King speech on Okinawa

    Courtesy Photo | Army Master Sgt. Wallace Layne, 1st Battalion, 1st Air Defense Artillery, was guest...... read more read more

    KADENA AIR BASE, OKINAWA, JAPAN

    01.14.2014

    Courtesy Story

    10th Regional Support Group

    By James Tamura Jr., Public Affairs officer, 10th Regional Support Group, Torii Station, Okinawa, Japan

    KADENA AIR BASE, Okinawa, Japan – On Jan. 14, soldiers and family members gathered to recognized the incredible accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Most of the people sitting in the ballroom of the Schilling Community Center were too young to have witnessed King give his speech referred to as “I Have a Dream” from the Lincoln Memorial Aug. 28, 1963. Many hadn't even been born when he was assassinated April 4, 1968.

    Maj. Myron “Bubba” Temkin, 10th Regional Support Group chaplain, gave the benediction setting the tone for the ceremony by stating, “This afternoon we join our hearts and minds together to ask your blessing upon us and our community as we gather to celebrate the birth, life and memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”

    Temkin went on to honor King's accomplishments and impact on our country and world, “God, we thank you so much for Dr. King’s life and for all the things he taught and did to help bring about changes in our nation so desperately needed so that every man and woman, every boy and girl could be treated with dignity, respect, and total equality.”

    Master Sgt. Wallace Layne, 1st Battalion, 1st Air Defense Artillery, dramatized King’s speech.

    The speech did not originally include the words, “I have a dream.” King only improvised the change at the urgings of Mahalia Jackson, a famous gospel singer. "Tell them the dream, Martin!” she said.

    Layne included the often quoted portion of the speech, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. I have a dream today!”

    Coretta Scott King petitioned for a national holiday from a time shortly after King’s assassination in 1968 up to the time a bill was introduced by Indiana representative Katie Hall in 1983. President Ronald Reagan signed the bill Nov. 9, 1983, creating a federal holiday to honor King and all 50 states observed it as an official holiday beginning in 2000.

    The impact of King’s life and message of equality was felt around the world. The Japanese city of Hiroshima holds Martin Luther King Jr. Day in equal importance as a symbol of world peace. Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba (1999-2011), held a special banquet at the mayor's office as an act of unifying his city's call for peace with King's message of human rights.

    Martin Luther King Jr. was the national symbol of peaceful civil disobedience who advocated the American society should live up to the mandate of the Constitution that “all men are created equal."

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 01.14.2014
    Date Posted: 01.16.2014 21:26
    Story ID: 119287
    Location: KADENA AIR BASE, OKINAWA, JP

    Web Views: 175
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN