A Visit to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dr. King's Masoleum rests on a small island in a reflecting pool reminiscent of the one where he gave his famous 'I Have a Dream' speech in Washington, D.C. In 2006, after her death, wife Coretta Scott King's remains were added to the masoleum. MLK and Coretta Scott King tombs in reflecting pool.

I returned from Georgia a few days ago after visiting my good friend Leonard and interviewing him for the upcoming 95th unit history. On the return trip, I took a puddle-jumper jet from Columbus, GA, over by the Alabama border, to Atlanta. Possibly due to the high price of gas, it seems like the airlines are running above capacity on most flights this month, and I voluntarily let myself get bumped off of two flights in exchange for future travel miles on Delta. After my second 'bump', the airline put me up for the night at the Holiday Inn North and I found a train that ran directly into downtown Atlanta for only four bucks round-trip. After dropping my small carry-on bag in the motel room, I went back to the airport and took this train into Atlanta to Five Corners, right downtown. From there, it was a one-mile, hot and humid walk to the famed Auburn Street Martin Luther King Historical District. After learning about Dr. King most of my life, it was awe-inspiring to see his birth home, his crypt (Coretta Scott King was buried right next to him in 2006), and several museums. I also visited the Ebenezer Baptist Church, where it all began. Enjoy the pictures, even though they are not on the Air Corps theme. They tie in because of the 60th Anniversary this week of President Truman's integration of the Air Force.

All photos taken by me during my afternoon in Atlanta.

Dr. King lived here in a multi-generational household for 12 years. He was born in this home on Auburn, which belonged to his grandfather. It is now a museum and has been restored to its original form and furnishing. It's surrounded by private homes and if you weren't looking for it, you probably wouldn't even know it was a historical house. The original, iconic sign of the Ebenezer Baptist Church. MLK's grandfather, father and MLK all preached here.
Dr. King's preaching robes, in the MLK museum.Dr. King's suits and ties, worn during his Civil Rights activities in the fifties and sixties.
Dr. King's travel alarm clock, and the key to his motel room at the Lorraine Motel the day he was tragically gunned down in Memphis, April 4, 1968.
MLK Rose Garden. In the distance, you can see the gravesite of MLK and Coretta Scott King across the street.

A Song by Dion follows. It sums up some of the sadness of the Sixties.

Has anybody here seen my old friend Abraham?

Can you tell me where he's gone?

He freed a lot of people,

But it seems the good they die young.

You know, I just looked around and he's gone.

Anybody here seen my old friend John?

Can you tell me where he's gone?

He freed a lot of people,

But it seems the good they die young.

I just looked around and he's gone.

Anybody here seen my old friend Martin?

Can you tell me where he's gone?

He freed a lot of people,

But it seems the good they die young.

I just looked 'round and he's gone.

Didn't you love the things that they stood for?

Didn't they try to find some good for you and me?

And we'll be free Some day soon,

and it's a-gonna be one day

...Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?

Can you tell me where he's gone?

I thought I saw him walk up over the hill,

With Abraham, Martin and John.

--Dion. Abraham, Martin and John, 1968, written by Richard Holler

Listen to the song, with graphics, here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZL81tPHp82g&feature=related

The Ebenezer Baptist Church. MLK's father and grandfather preached here, and so did Martin. Auburn Street, looking towards downtown Atlanta.
Eternal flame.

Ghandi, whose own civil rights struggles and use of civil disobedience were inspirational to MLK.

The new Ebenezer Baptist Church is directly across the street.

And finally, after enjoying Atlanta that afternoon and evening, I flew out first class the next morning. Sometimes, one can turn lemons into lemonade.

Downtown Atlanta, GA.

60th Anniversary of President Truman's Integration of the Armed Forces Slips by with Little Fanfare

Sixty years ago this week, President Harry Truman signed into law an act integrating the United States Armed Forces, a huge step forward in the Civil Rights movement, one that predated by a decade the efforts of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and others. It was a momentous step, carried out with little backlash, and paved the way for the great things to come. As U.S. Presidents go, President Truman rarely gets the accolades he deserves, even after David McCullough's wonderful biography. It was Harry Truman who changed U.S. policy towards displaced persons in US-Occupied Germany after World War Two, and the former haberdasher from Missouri was a champion of civil rights from the day he entered office.

Following is a CNN news report on this important day in American history. This story initially ran in 1998.

U.S. celebrates 50 years of integrated military

Although blacks in uniform had fought in American conflicts throughout the country's history, including the Civil War, rarely had they been treated as equals

(CNN) -- It took decades to fully integrate the U.S. military, but there is general agreement that what President Harry Truman did 60 years ago this weekend helped ignite the country's civil rights movement and put its largest armed service, the Army, in the forefront of race relations.
On July 26, 1948, Truman issued a then-controversial executive order that called for "equality of treatment for all persons in the armed services, without regard to race, color, religion or national origin."

Though African Americans in uniform had fought and bled for the United States throughout its history, rarely had they been treated as equals to whites. For that reason, 1948 was a milestone.
"It was good for the country and good for the services and it meant a great deal to a large number of citizens of the country," says retired Air Force Col. Charles McGee.

In World War II, he belonged to the Tuskegee Airmen, a distinguished all-black combat unit established by the Army Air Corps in 1942.

Black volunteers helped the U.S. win the Battle of the Bulge in World War II

But perhaps the high point of (the 1998) anniversary observances was Thursday's bestowal of Bronze Star medals on five African-American World War II veterans.

They were among 2,221 blacks answering Gen. Dwight Eisenhower's emergency request in 1944 to serve in the front lines with units depleted in the fight against Germany.

The opportunity to be the first black soldiers to serve with white troops on the front lines came with a catch, however. The volunteers had to give up their noncommissioned officer's stripes and serve as privates.

When they returned to their units at the end of the war, their lost rank was not restored.
After the war, when the military decided to award the Bronze Star to all who had served as combat infantrymen, these men were not contacted.

Through contacts by black veterans organizations and individual letters, the Army learned of its oversight and took steps this year to correct the record.

Tuskegee Airman Charles "A-Train" Dryden Flies Final Mission

WASHINGTON (AFRNS) -- Retired Lt. Col. Charles Dryden, 87, one of the famed "Tuskegee Airmen" who broke the military's color barrier by becoming a World War II fighter pilot, died June 24 in Atlanta.

Colonel Dryden was born Sept. 16, 1920, in New York City to Jamaican parents. He graduated from Peter Stuyvesant High School and earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Hofstra University and a master's in public law and government from Columbia University.
In August 1941, he was selected for Army Air Corps aviation cadet training, and was commissioned April 29, 1942, one of three graduates in the second all-black class to graduate from the Tuskegee Army Flying School in Alabama. He was a member of the 99th Pursuit Squadron and later the 332nd Fighter Group, which served in North Africa, Sicily and Italy.
Known as "A-Train," he remained in the military after World War II and served in additional combat during the Korean War. He retired in 1962. After his military service, Colonel Dryden traveled throughout the world to share his story with both Airmen and civilians through a variety of appearances.

In 2007, he flew with nearly 200 Aviation Career Education students from Atlanta to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Ohio to present the museum with a replica of the Congressional Gold Medal for a ceremony.

He also wrote his autobiography, "A-Train: Memoirs of a Tuskegee Airman," which was published in 1997 by the University of Alabama Press.

"Many of us feel we have an obligation to inform as many people as possible," said Colonel Dryden during a visit to Kadena Air Base, Japan in February. "They need to know about this very important part of American history from our own experiences."

His visits made an impression on many Airmen.

"I was so excited to see him because my grandfather was his crew chief during World War II," said Master Sgt. Jonathan Curl, 18th Logistics Readiness Squadron at Kadena AB. "It was a way to touch my grandfather again."

His message of challenge and change resonated with those in his audience.

"I believe the experiences that (he) faced during his career set the path for all who came and will come behind him," said Master Sgt. Michelle Rozier, 116th Air Control Wing protocol superintendent at Robins Air Force Base, Ga., where Colonel Dryden gave a speech. (Courtesy of Air Force Print News)

God bless you and God speed, 'A-Train'. You're an American hero.