Soldiers, sailors, airmen, civilians pause to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Afghanistan

By Lt. Cmdr. J. Ehrenfeld (NATO Role III MMU)January 30, 2015

Train, Advise, Assist Command - South Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Maj. Jennifer Cooper (right, standing) addresses a group of service members and civilians during the Train, Advise, Assist Command - South observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day Jan. 19. Cooper, who leads the unit chaplain's office, organized the e... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Pausing from their usual routines, a group of Soldiers, sailors, airmen and civilians gathered Jan. 19 to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a breakfast at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. The NATO Train, Advise, Assist Command - South (TAAC-S) chaplain's office organized the event as an opportunity to reflect on and remember the contributions King made to the civil rights movement in the United States.

Maj. Jennifer Cooper, the TAAC-S Chaplain, focused on one of King's main themes: justice. Quoting King's famous words that an "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere," Cooper marked the occasion by encouraging all present to remember that no matter one's rank or station, all have a purpose and an important place in changing the world.

She remarked of King's legacy, "What can we do, but follow the examples of men like Dr. King, who have taken a stand for justice, for kindness, for humility? What can we do but show love for all?"

Among his many accomplishments, King organized a 382-day bus boycott which only ended when the U.S. Supreme Court declared segregation unconstitutional. The federal holiday, signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1983, occurs the third Monday of each year around the time of King's birthday, Jan. 15.

Many people worked together to make the event successful. Capt. Greg Sink, a fellow chaplain, provided the opening prayer, Staff Sgt. Shamekia Sanders sang for the group, Howard O'Neal, a civilian, read an excerpt from King's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail," and Sgt. 1st Class Patriena Smith provided inspirational readings. Capt. Russell Woody, another chaplain, closed the event by saying a prayer for the nation.