FORT RUCKER, Ala. (March 5, 2015) -- Fort Rucker celebrated African-American Black History Month during a luncheon at The Landing's ballroom Feb. 25 with the theme, "Recognizing a Century of African-American Pioneers."
"National African-American History Month is an annual celebration of achievement and a time for recognizing the central role that African-Americans have played in U.S. history," said Sgt. 1st Class Jason Garcia, 1st Aviation Brigade equal opportunity adviser, during the ceremony. "Some of you may remember a time when the books in school did not teach the deeds and accomplishments of African-Americans. I'm proud to say that we have come a long way.
"Today, we celebrate a century of (African-American) life in history," he continued. "Today, we honor those brilliant men and women who have made America the greatest nation on Earth, and, today, we recognize that African-American history is not separate from what we call American history, but that it is a common heritage that is shared by us all."
The celebration featured musical selections, poetry readings, a tribute to Maya Angelou and words from Mike Schmitz, Dothan city mayor and guest speaker for the event.
"It's always extraordinary to take time to remember our history and who we are, the struggles we've overcome and what we stand for," said Schmitz. "It truly is a great honor to be here today."
Schmitz talked about how he recently saw the movie, "Selma," which depicts the struggles of African-Americans during the Civil Rights Movement and the famous march from Selma to Montgomery.
"I will always take away from that movie that (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.) was a great man, not because of just what he accomplished, but because what he went through to get there," said the Dothan mayor.
Schmitz's message to everyone in attendance was to respect others and to say "thank you" to those who provide help throughout their own journeys in life.
Schmitz was abandoned as a child and spent many of his early years in an orphanage before he was adopted at the age of 5. Throughout his early childhood, he was considered a problem child, he said, and more than a handful for his adoptive parents.
"I was a young boy who couldn't understand why I never met my mom, why I never met my father and why I wasn't good enough, and I acted out," he said. "Godly parents adopted me and Godly parents loved me, but I had all these issues."
It wasn't until he was kicked out of school in the fifth grade and made to go to public school that he would meet someone who would change his life forever.
"I met a teacher named Mrs. Howell, and Mrs. Howell got to know me and realized that even in the fifth grade that I couldn't read. So, she took the time to get to know me and teach me to read, and she opened up the whole world to me," he said. "This teacher changed my life.
"I was walking one direction, she gave me tools, and I turned around and started walking in another direction, and the whole reason I'm telling all of you this is I never told her 'thank you,'" said Schmitz. "I never came back and told her what a difference she made, so when I was in my 30s … I told my wife, Sandy, that we're going to (visit Mrs. Howell)."
Schmitz and his wife went to visit Mrs. Howell, but when they arrived at her house, her daughter answered the door and told them that Mrs. Howell had passed away some years ago. That life lesson taught him to say "thank you" to those that make an impact in his life, he said.
During his time speaking, Schmitz also engaged the crowd with a quiz game where he read facts about prominent African-Americans throughout history, and if they answered correctly they were awarded with a prize, including a $20 gift card.
Master Sgt. Joseph Christensen, Fort Rucker chief equal opportunity adviser, offered closing remarks and said that African-American History Month is a time for redefining heroes.
"Individuals like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Frederick Douglas, Booker T. Washington -- those, to me, are heroes," he said. "The challenges they faced to rise above and to contribute what they have to American society is truly astounding. I challenge you to continue this, and take it to your own homes and continue to talk about the challenges … and things that are different, but make us, as a country, great."
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