Hurlburt Field commemorates Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

  • Published
  • By Dylan Laurie
  • 1st SOW Public Affairs
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. --  Monday is the national holiday honoring the accomplishments of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who devoted his life to the benefit of others as a leader of the Civil Rights movement during the 1950s and '60s.

Staff Sgt. Terrance Jones, 1st Special Operations Wing Military Equal Opportunity technician, said MEO hopes to re-energize the base community with this year's MLK commemorative service and breakfast Jan. 19 at 8 a.m. at the base chapel.

"Everyone wants to know what's going on," Sergeant Jones said. "I get several calls a day from people wanting to know what we're doing for MLK. It means a lot to me because it honors the contributions of the late great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., not only to the African-American community, but also to the whole world."

Sergeant Jones has personal ties to the Civil Rights movement.

"I have several family members who attended marches in Montgomery, Ala., and different gatherings during the Civil Rights movement," Sergeant Jones said. "One of my aunts was arrested while attending a demonstration."

Sergeant Jones has worked with members of the African-American Heritage Committee and the African-American Cultural Society to coordinate this years' event which will include guest speaker Dr. Bernard Yates, from the Zion Hope Primitive Baptist Church of Pensacola, and a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. choir group made up of interested parties who have access to the base.

"The theme again is not a day off but a day on," Sergeant Jones said. "A lot of people look at it as we're going to take the day off and do nothing, but that wasn't the message he wanted to send. Do something, get out in the community, talk to the youth and find out what's going on. Recognize that the message he was trying to teach was equality for everyone."

In December 2006, a National Observance Committee was established for Hurlburt Field to improve base involvement by designating a specific observance to a specific group to ensure chair and co-chair positions are established for each observance committee, according to Master Sgt. Jeannie Crosby, 1st SOW/MEO superintendent.

"Last year, we sought volunteers from the base populace for the chair and co-chair positions," Sergeant Crosby said. "This process didn't always yield volunteers for all observance committees. This will ensure no observance falls by the wayside."

Sergeant Jones believes many military members do not take advantage of the means the military provides for them to distinguish the contributions made by ethnic groups.

"Commanders at all levels can encourage and allow unit members to volunteer for committees or attend planned events," Sergeant Crosby said. "This is an opportunity for learning, development and education."

On April 3, 1968, while in Memphis, Tenn., Dr. King delivered his "Mountaintop" speech to a crowd of 2,000 supporters. The next day, he stepped out onto his motel balcony and was assassinated.

Dr. King will forever be remembered for the progress he made to the Civil Rights movement and his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.

"My dream would be that people have more respect for one another; stop putting so much emphasis on social status," Sergeant Jones said. "If we all could just treat each other the same and not let our perception and prejudices cloud our actions, I know this world would be a far better place to live.

This world has come a long way in improving social equality, but we still have a very long way to go. I am really looking forward to that day when we love our neighbor as we truly love ourselves."