SFC(R) James Darty remembers seeing the signs at Fort Benning and Columbus that directed him to a separate bathroom than white Soldiers.
"(In 1961) there were still signs that said 'white only' and 'black only,' said Darty, who served 22 years. "There was no such thing as a mixed community. Now the communities are integrated, and that's the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr."
Although the nation honored the legacy of King Monday, the annual Fort Benning commemoration ceremony was Jan. 14 at the Benning Conference Center.
Surrounded by images of King, guest speaker, Chaplain COL(R) Roy Plummer urged those in attendance to honor the legend's sacrifice by being proactive.
In keeping with the event's theme, "Remember! Celebrate! Act!: A day on, not a day off," Plummer said Americans should find a way to getinvolved instead of washing their cars, cleaning their houses or going to the movies.
"It has to be the time ... to honor the legacy of he who paid the full submission of sacrifice," he said. "Find a place to become involved."
And Plummer, who served 23 years, likened the heroism King displayed in his life to that of current-day Soldiers. Like King, he said Soldiers are also heroes who are concerned with the well-being of all Americans.
SFC Viva Jester, 198th Infantry Brigade, and her group Walter and the Gospel Stairways of Griffin, Ga., performed. Although she said things are better since King's time, she feels equality among different races is still a work in progress.
"Dr. King struggled to help everyone be considered equal," she said. "And so I think it's just so important that we as the military, along with civilians, (of all races) come together and make our nation a better place."
In the meantime, Plummer said events like the annual MLK commemoration provide a moment to reflect on the past - on stories like those of King and Darty - as Americans pursue progress going into the future.
"It's a way of reminding us, and I think it would be the prayer of Dr. King that this should happen, that all of us could get together and celebrate," he said. "The third
Monday of January 2010 can't be just another day.
"It has to be a day that is purposeful," he said. "It has to be a day on, not off."
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