FORT DRUM, N.Y. -- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would have been 86 years old this year, and although his life was cut short, the legacy of his fight for equal rights for all people continues to live on through the many generations who have celebrated his life.
Fort Drum honored King's life during a gathering Jan. 14 at the Commons, with a theme that the celebration should not just be a day off, but rather a day on: a day to help others and to give back to our communities.
Col. Valerie Holmes, Fort Drum's U.S. Army Dental Activity commander and the guest speaker, told the story of King's humble beginnings and his rise as a civil rights leader.
"Dr. King was an American who did not have to step out of his comfortable lifestyle, but he did, she said.
"His desire to improve the living conditions of the descendants of former slaves stirred him to stay close to the word of God that he may stay in alignment with his calling as a pastor as well as the teachings of Jesus Christ. He is referred to as a moral leader of our nation … a true American."
Spc. Jynese Jenkins, a dental specialist, sang the national anthem, and Staff Sgt. Dennis Nicholson, Marshall Dental Clinic's noncommissioned officer in charge, recited King's Montgomery march speech of 1965.
Jenkins, who grew up in Charleston, S.C., said she joined the Army in 2011 as her way of giving back.
She attended Bethlehem Baptist Church in Alvin, S.C., where she admired three parishioners who marched with King during the civil rights movement.
"They shared their experiences with us, and I appreciate what they did for us," she said.
Maj. Gen. Stephen J. Townsend, Fort Drum and 10th Mountain Division (LI) commander, said he hopes the attendees took two things away from King's birthday observance: racial equality and nonviolent social change.
"Dr. King has affected more than just our nation and us as citizens, but us as an Army and us as Soldiers," Townsend said. "So, we are a better Army today for Dr. King and the efforts that he led in the 1960s."
Sgt. 1st Class Joey Mitchell, an Equal Opportunity adviser with 10th Mountain Division, added that the intent is for everyone who attended the observance to go back to their offices and units and share their experience and stories from the day and to do what King intended for others to do: to go out and help others and our communities.
"I hope everyone takes something away from this," Mitchell said.
Holmes closed her speech by reminded everyone of King's words that we must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.
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