CAMP HUMPHREYS, REPUBLIC OF KOREA -- “We’ve got some difficult days ahead, but it doesn't really matter with me now, because I’ve been to the mountaintop… I’ve seen the promised land,” said Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
In the early evening hours of April 4, 1968, hours after he gave his “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop speech,” a single shot rang out across Memphis, Tenn. That one shot would kill the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, an important leader in the American Civil Rights Movement. Dr. King was assassinated by James Earl Ray, an escaped convict, who with one shot forever silenced a powerful voice for peace.
On Nov 2, 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill making King’s birthday a national holiday. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is celebrated on the third Monday of January.
Camp Humphreys Freedom Chapel hosted an observance ceremony followed by a candlelight march in honor of Dr. King on Jan. 15. U.S. Army Brig. Gen. David Wilson, Director of Logistics, United States Forces Korea, was the guest speaker and spoke on Dr. King’s ability to inspire others through his voice and ideals.
“Dr. King was a voice for the disenfranchised,” said Wilson. “He was the battle cry for human dignity. There’s a powerful legacy that stands the test of time, and as Dr. King said ‘the time is always right to do what’s right.’”
Nearly five decades have passed since the assassination of Dr. King, yet the fundamental principles he taught then are still being taught to this day.
“Today we seek to remember, celebrate and act on the legacy, as well as, the principles Dr. King vowed,” said Col. Kevin Hamilton, Chief of Staff, 65th Medical Brigade, Eighth Army.
Growing up as a humble share-cropper in the South, Dr. King’s voice breeds ideals that would forever shape the United States of America and continue to inspire individuals for generations. Fifty years have passed since Dr. King was assassinated, yet his teachings have spread throughout America to include the U.S. Military.
“I think Martin Luther King, Jr. has influenced military personnel to always strive for greatness,” said Sgt. Larry Barnhill, Public Affairs Noncommissioned Officer, 20th Public Affairs Detachment. “It really drives home the value of selfless service.”
Dr. King’s ideals on moving forward captivated audiences and forged a new way of peaceful protest.
“If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward,” said Dr. King.