How far have we come in 60 years?

Rosa Parks is a great example to every one of us - she followed through with her beliefs and principles and her courage is a great example today.

Unfortunately, today what we are facing too many that refuse to work, refuse to get away from their TV's, refuse to do that uncomfortable thing called work, getting callouses on their hands or minds from applying them and this crosses every culture, every race, creed, religion, gender or whatever category you should so choose to apply.

We need more like Rosa parks, willing to take a stand on principle, will do be the backbone and stand for something instead of relying on everyone else around them to do the heavy lifting...I am fearful of the day we see this apathy creep into my beloved Army and our Armed Forces - we have to remember these events as they are example of what made our country great and ever improving.

Well 60 years ago I was in my mothers womb which was a much safer place to be than that it is today CPT (Join to see)
Sixty years ago black people were referred to as negroes in person and on government forms. We have gone from that term through african american to black in 60 years.
We have a Kenyan American President who was elected to two terms. We still have problems with "race" in this nation; but, I submit they are not as widespread as they were. There are still pockets of racial hatred in this nation.
I hope that one day people will be living the dream that Marin Luther King had of children playing together across this land with no regard to what color or national heritage they are descended from. Where each person is recognized as having innate worth because they have been created in teh image of God. COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. SMSgt Minister Gerald A. Thomas CMSgt Mark Schubert SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL SSG James J. Palmer IV aka "JP4" @TSgt John Temblador, PI, CIPA SSgt (Join to see) SGT (Join to see) SGT Robert Hawks SGT Forrest Stewart SrA Christopher Wright

CPT (Join to see), 60 years ago I was in the fifth grade. That was in 1955. I lived in Pasadena, Texas where there was a local KKK association. There were no blacks living in Pasadena. Most of them lived in Houston and were afraid to come to Pasadena. I was not raised to be prejudiced about anyone and I didn't understand why there was so much hate and violence. When I got older and the racial tension in Alabama and Mississippi was on tv, I felt terrible about what was happening to the blacks. I soon became interested in Martin Luther King Jr. and his philosophy. He along with Rosa Parks did more in their time, helping the blacks and the whites understanding and living in the same town, than anyone else who tried. When I was in in basic in 1965 at Fort Polk,La., there was a racial riot in my company, E-1-5. The blacks came into the barracks late at night, with entrenching tools and began hitting whoever was in a bunk. One of the DI's arm was cut off by an entrenching tool. I was lucky in that I had a lot of black friends and they told me and some others to not be in the barracks at 2100. We all went to the PX and got drunk on 3.2 beer. I never had any problems with any black soldier. The riot was due to their barracks being all black men and the squad leaders were white. Even after I got back from Vietnam, I had to go to Detroit, Michigan for racial riots. The past sixty years were hard up until their rights were being enforced. I hunted and fished with black friends from work. One of my black friends newborn son had cycle cell and may not live. I started a blood drive for him. It saved his kid. I'm not wanting any glory in that. It's just something one human being does for another. Sorry for jabbering away, but the blacks have been treated unfairly, and still are in some cities, and that's sad.