FORT HOOD, Texas – The III Corps, Fort Hood and the 1st “Ironhorse” Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Equal Opportunity Offices hosted the Rev. Dennis Morgan Brown as “The Resurrected Voice of King” during the Martin Luther King holiday observance at Club Hood Jan. 23 here.
Brig. Gen. Dean Milner, III Corps and Fort Hood deputy commanding general – Canada, gave opening remarks for the event.
“As a Canadian, I feel particularly privileged to be a part of this ceremony that honors a great American leader whose vision of freedom and justice have inspired millions of people around the world,” Milner said.
Milner reflected on the courage and dedication of black and Japanese World War II soldiers who were forced to serve in segregated units and how the successful integration of the armed forces inspired a generation of civil rights activists.
“Within our lifetimes we’ve seen tremendous progress in the expansion of civil rights within the military: the integration of female soldiers in units and [military occupational specialties] that had historically been barred to them, the first African-American chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff … the first female four-star general, the repeal of the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy and I’ll emphasize as Dr. King said in 1964, the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends always towards justice,” said Milner.
Col. Steven Gilland, Ironhorse brigade commander, delivered President Barack Obama’s proclamation for the MLK federal holiday.
Brown described the presentation as an embodiment of Dr. King’s spirit.
“What you’re about to hear is not a theatric, not a performance, not an act, it’s a gift,” Brown explained.
During the ceremony, Brown recited portions of speeches given by Martin Luther King. His renditions of songs like “Trouble of the World” and “Summertime” echoed throughout the room. He described famous events and activities of the civil rights movement that shaped the course of American history in his soulful rendition of Dr. King.
“The impact that this one man as the great Walter Cronkite would say who, not looking for fame but found it because he said ‘I just want to do God’s will,” Brown said. “And all of the opposition that he was against, all of the hate and all of the bigotry that he was up against, he prevailed because he [did] it in a non-violent method.”
Brown’s inspirational performance served as a reminder that Dr. King’s many achievements were not without hard work and dedication.