We Are One: Creating History by Portraying History

Photo By Ki Yong Kwon | Fig. 2 (Left to right) SFC Woodall-Cowans, BG Wilson and LTC Williams pose  

WAEGWAN, 47, SOUTH KOREA

01.22.2019

Story by Ki Yong Kwon 

U.S. Army Materiel Support Command - Korea

CAMP CARROLL-SOUTH KOREA, story by 2LT Grant M. McMains, 17th Ordnance Company, 6th Ordnance Battalion, U.S. Army Materiel Support Command- Korea, It’s not often a “Filay’e,” otherwise described as a film and play in one presentation, is created and enacted, but on Jan. 14, 2019 the 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command hosted a Filay’e, titled “We Are One,” a ground breaking, equal opportunity (EO) event, written and produced by Russell Jordan, a Dept. of the Army Civilian, and performed at Camp Carroll, near Waegwan, Republic of Korea.

“We Are One” focuses on Dr. Martin Luther King’s life. A mixture of interactive theater performance, coupled with actual historic images and video footage. Key events included the Montgomery Boycotts, Dr. Martin Luther King’s meetings with President John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, as well as Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream Speech”.

The Filay’e brought an emotional and venerable connection to a historic movement. Notable attendees included, but were not limited to: Brig. Gen. Michel M. Russell Sr., the 19th ESC Commanding General, Brig. Gen. David Wilson, U.S. Forces Korea Director of Logistics, and Col. Eric L. Jackson the commander of U.S. Army Materiel Support Command Korea.

Adding to the depth of the “We Are One” event, was the historic art gallery sent from Memphis, Tennessee by patrons Rev. Charles and Mrs. Freddie Cowans.

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Zachary Woodall-Cowans, the first sergeant of 17th Ordnance Company, 6th Ordnance Battalion, who designed the gallery said, “It was vital that the art gallery exemplified the concept of history making history. I was honored that my parents sent over 30 artifacts from Memphis, Tennessee to create the ‘We Are One’ gallery. In my opinion the most prized piece is an original newspaper from April 4th, 1968 mourning the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. My number one goal was to show the audience the struggle towards equality that we as a Nation have gone through.”

The “We Are One” Gallery focused on events detailing Dr. Martin Luther King’s life, the cultural resistance during the rise of Jim Crow Laws, and further events of the late 20th Century that inspired all people to stand up for equality. The “We Are One” gallery was divided into three different sections: culture, politics and music.

Sgt. James Bowman, a Soldier with the 17th Ordnance Company who portrayed Dr. Martin Luther King in the Filay’e, said, “I felt so honored to be a part of something of this magnitude. My number one goal was to educate the audience on the sacrifices that Dr. King made to ensure that our nation would join hands together in unity. I am so thankful that my Company Commander, Capt. Michael Drabowicz, Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Latorris Williams and Battalion Command Sergeant Major, Kevin Holleman, allowed me to serve as a vessel to promote equality and equal human rights to the members of U.S. Forces Korea. I am extremely blessed.”

The “We Are One” Event was a culmination of hundreds of hours of service by the cast and crew, which illustrated as witness to the empowering and uplifting outlook of cultural equality and serving as a reminder to all involved that learning from history is far better than repeating it.

• Date Taken: 01.22.2019
• Date Posted: 01.21.2019 18:26
• Story ID: 307750
• Location: WAEGWAN, 47, KR