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 held at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. Organized by the Train, Advise, Assist Command-South (TAAC-S) chaplain's office, the event was an opportunity to reflect on and remember the contributions that Dr. King made to the civil rights movement in the U.S.
In putting together the program, Maj. Jennifer Cooper, the TAAC-S chaplain, focused on one of Dr. 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 around us. She remarked of Dr. 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?"
Martin Luther King Jr. was born into a world of segregation, attending separate schools in Georgia and ultimately graduating from Morehouse College and receiving a doctorate from Boston University. Working with the executive committee of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, King served as a catalyst in our nation's journey toward racial and ethnic equality. Leading the first great nonviolent demonstration held in the U.S., Dr. King organized a 382-day bus boycott which only ended when the U.S. Supreme Court declared segregation unconstitutional.
The youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize at age 35, Dr. King's life was tragically cut short by an assassin on the evening of April 4, 1968. The federal holiday, signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1983, is observed the third Monday of each year around the time of King's birthday, January 15.
Also participating in the event were Army Capt. Greg Sink, a fellow chaplain, who provided the opening prayer; Staff Sgt. Shamekia Sanders, who sang for the group; Howard "Skip" O'Neal, who read an excerpt from "Letter from a Birmingham Jail;" and Sgt. 1st Class Patriena Smith, who provided inspirational readings. Capt. Russell Woody, another chaplain, closed the event by saying a prayer for the Nation.
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