YONGSAN GARRISON, Republic of Korea -- Servicemembers, Families and Civilians held a march and vigil ceremony commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King here, Jan. 20.
Yongsan community members from all walks of life joined together to pay respect and honor King.
Held annually, this year marked the fifth MLK ceremony put together by the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. The fraternity and sorority have been contributing to the society by providing leadership at crisis situations, a big brother and big sister program, and setting up an education foundation.
During the ceremony, Chaplain (Maj.) James Key, the guest speaker, spoke of King's accomplishments and urged the audience to reflect upon freedom and equality.
"It is an honor to be here this afternoon to speak about Dr. Martin Luther King and his life because Dr. King is our national hero," Key said. "If I had to set a theme for today's speech, it would be an honorable response. The privilege that we own today did not just happen over the night. Thus, it is our duty to always look above and fight for the values that Dr. King fought for. And that would be an honorable response to our predecessors."
Participants of the march and vigil were able to express their personal values.
"MLK day means freedom to me," said Tina Smith, a retired school administrator. "And I expect this parade to be inspiring to the garrison, as I regard it as a statement that we have come a long way of pursuit of freedom as people, as a race, and as a country."
The MLK march started at the Collier Community Fitness Center and finished with a vigil at the South Post Chapel.
"I thank you all for being at this honorable event," said Col. Michael E. Masley, garrison commander for USAG Yongsan. "I would like to remind you all of whom we are here for and what he did for our nation. Let us not forget the spirit Dr. King left in us and the unstopping effort to make things better."
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