U.S. Department of Defense Official Website

May. 06, 2009

"Dr. King was a man of historic consequence. He gave his all for the country he loved, but which needed help in finding its way. He once said: “If a man hasn’t discovered something that he would die for, he isn’t fit to live.” He lived his beliefs. Today, as we watch the great sweep of freedom slowly cross the world, we can still catch glimpses of Dr. King’s vision." Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld More

John F. Kennedy meets with Martin Luther King, Jr. and the leaders of the March on Washington in the Oval Office August 28, 1963. With more extensive press coverage than any previous political demonstration in U.S. history, the march and King's speech were historic moments in the Civil Rights movement.

Martin Luther King, Jr. with Dr. Spock on the left and Reverend Rice (with the hat) on the right. PHoto by Benedict Fernandez

Robinson was moved by Martin Luther King, Jr., and his Southern Christian Leadership Conference, lending his presence and raising money for King and his cause. Photo Credit: Corbis-Bettmann Archive

Harvard President Nathan M. Pusey talked with Martin Luther King Jr. on the steps of Memorial Church on Jan. 10, 1965.

Infantry Hosts Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast

By U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Nancy McMillan /
196th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

TIKRIT, Iraq – In a show of respect for the accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., dozens of 1st Infantry Division Soldiers assembled in the dining facility for a prayer breakfast held on Forward Operating Base Danger on Jan. 17.

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Drayton L. Gilyard, a pastor with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 121st Signal Battalion, 1st ID, gave the invocation. The Tikrit Gospel Fellowship singers performed "Voices Of Praise" before a crowd of hungry Soldiers.

"My sister said, 'Martin Luther King was a good man,'" said Col. Keith L. Cooper, 1st ID's chief of staff, after he returned home from watching a procession of mourners in the downtown streets of Alaska in April 1968.

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Drayton L. Gilyard , a pastor with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 121st Signal Battalion, leads the Tikrit Gospel Fellowship in song. The singers took part in the Martin Luther King Jr., Prayer Breakfast on Jan. 17 on Forward Operating Base Danger, Tikrit , Iraq . U.S Army Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Nancy McMillan

Col. Keith L. Cooper, 1st Infantry Division's chief of staff, and keynote speaker during the Martin Luther King Jr., prayer breakfast, spoke of his first experience understanding the important role of the celebrated civil rights leader. The event was held on Jan. 17 on Forward Operating Base Danger, Tikrit, Iraq. U.S Army Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Nancy McMillan

Dr. King, a minister, civil rights leader, intellectual, social reformer and author, was assassinated after more than a decade of seeking peace in the volatile social transformation of America.

"It took me about 15 years after (Dr. King's) death to understand that the fight was not all about African Americans, it was about improving the life for all Americans," Cooper said.

"Our Army is a microcosm of our society, but it is also a standard bearer for our society. Every day, each of you live the values that others aspire to," Cooper said. "We must carry on the tradition of Dr. King by being worthy of that example."


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