Fort Huachuca, AZ. - The Fort Huachuca Military Equal Opportunity Office hosted a Martin Luther King Jr. Day observance on Wednesday at the Thunder Mountain Activity Center with a guest speaker, musical entertainment and traditional food sampling.
The observance started with an invocation delivered by Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Samuel Godfrey, followed by the national anthem, sang by Samantha Taylor, Buena High School Choir.
Maj. Gen. Gregg Potter, commander, U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence and Fort Huachuca, provided opening remarks, showing appreciation to the participants and supporting patrons of the ceremony. "It is my sincere hope that you will leave here today reinvigorated by the teachings of Dr. King and that you will find inspiration in your own lives and that you will capture the magnitude of a difference one individual can make through selfless and dedicated service. Thank you for attending today and thank you for what each of you do for our Army and our nation," he said.
Staff Sgt. Frankie Rosario and Spc. Ivan Covington represented the 62nd Army Band, playing "We Shall Overcome" and "Amazing Grace" on the piano and trumpet.
Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech was recited by Clayton Barnett, retiree. "If you haven't heard Clayton give Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech, then you are in for a real treat. I got to see him [Barnett] last year and I will tell you, if you close your eyes, you can hear him [Martin Luther King] saying those words," Potter said.
The guest speaker for the event was Apostle Charles Townes, Sr., General Dynamics, site lead. Townes served 10 years in the U.S. Air Force and 11 years in the Air National Guard, retiring in April 2008. According to the program handed out during the observance, he and his wife, Prophetess Teresa Townes, are the founders and overseers of Embassy Christian Center located in Sierra Vista, which focuses on bringing honor to God by speaking present day truth.
Townes' speech was focused on an article that was written by Michael Hyatt, titled "8 Leadership Lessons from Martin Luther King, Jr.," providing insight into what Townes believes it takes to be a great leader. He finished his speech with "We may not be at Stone Mountain in Georgia, but perhaps right here with the backdrop of the beautiful mountains, or more closely, right here at the Thunder Mountain Activity Centre, we should be able to let it ring here today, thank God almighty for Dr. Martin Luther King."
Closing out the observance, Potter awarded the participants with letters and tokens of appreciation, and provided closing remarks.
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