Commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day: A Sailor’s Perspective | Navy Medicine I AM Navy Medicine RSS : Posts Comments Home About Disclaimer Navy Medicine News Navy Medicine WebSite I AM Navy Medicine Written on JANUARY 21, 2013 AT 7:30 AM by VKREMER Navy Medicine Video Commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day: A Sailor’s Perspective Filed under FLEET AND THE FLEET MARINE FORCE, U.S. MARINE CORPS, U.S. NAVY {NO COMMENTS} By Command Master Chief (SW/FMF) Rusty Perry, Navy Medicine Education and Training Command (NMETC) Navy Medicine is a global healthcare network of 63,000 Navy medical personnel around the world who provide high quality health care to more than one million eligible beneficiaries. Navy Medicine personnel deploy with Sailors and Marines worldwide, providing critical mission support aboard ship, in the air, under the sea and on the battlefield. Navy Medicine Social Media Follow us on Twitter Join us on Facebook Navy Medicine Education and Training Command (NMETC) Command Master Read our publications Chief (SW/FMF) Rusty Perry observes an Advanced Dental Assistant Program student practice skills during a visit to the Surface Warfare Medical Institute in San Diego. Perry is the senior enlisted Sailor for NMETC, View our photo stream Navy Medicine’s formal enlisted and officer education and training programs, medical operational training for medical and medical support personnel deploying worldwide and training that prepares aviators and flight crews to survive in land and water mishaps. (Courtesy photo) Watch our videos “Human progress never rolls in on the wheels of inevitability. It comes through the tireless efforts and the persistent work of dedicated individuals…” -Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 1964 Navy Medicine Live Archives February 2015 (14) Shipmates, January 2015 (12) One of the pioneering minds of this past century penned those words nearly five decades ago, December 2014 (17) and while appropriate for that time in United States history – a time replete with internal strife and the onset of an overseas conflict which claimed the lives of nearly 60,000 U.S. November 2014 (11) http://navymedicine.navylive.dodlive.mil/archives/4056[2/25/2015 2:57:40 PM] Commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day: A Sailor’s Perspective | Navy Medicine service members, the Vietnam War – still ring true today. October 2014 (15) September 2014 (20) Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, annually the third Monday in January, is designed to honor the chief spokesman for nonviolent activism in the civil rights movement which successfully August 2014 (14) protested racial discrimination in federal and state law. July 2014 (13) As we celebrate this holiday, one of only three federal holidays named for an individual, June 2014 (8) reflect on the progress that we as individuals, as a Navy and as a nation have made, at least in May 2014 (11) some part due to the efforts of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. April 2014 (9) The middle child of an Atlanta preacher, eventual Nobel Peace Prize winner and arguably the March 2014 (14) face of the Civil Rights Movement and non-violent protest, King said those words in 1964. February 2014 (7) And as a career Sailor, I believe there is a direct correlation between Dr. King’s message and January 2014 (7) the values we as a Navy harbor today. December 2013 (7) For the past 27 years, I’ve seen the Navy grow and change, and although I would like to think November 2013 (12) that our Core Values have remained unchanged since our formation nearly 300 years ago, October 2013 (7) they haven’t. The progress we’ve made as a country, as a Navy, as individuals, has shifted dramatically even in my time, and even moreso from the segregation and inequality Sailors September 2013 (14) classified as minority endured during some of the armed conflicts which have defined our August 2013 (13) nation. July 2013 (11) Dr. Martin Luther King championed a sense of community, and I believe Sailors today June 2013 (22) appreciate a similar sense of loyalty to their community – the United States Navy – as well as May 2013 (15) to the concepts of dedication, an openness in diversity issues and the common ground they embrace whether aboard ship, on the ground or in the air. April 2013 (14) March 2013 (14) As the Navy is a direct reflection of the society we have chosen to serve, the diverse racial, ethnic and religious makeup of the Sailors bolstering its ranks only serves to reinforce the February 2013 (14) legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a fact that I – as a Sailor and medical professional – January 2013 (12) embrace. December 2012 (11) Unlike the service members who paved the way for us, today, there is no color on the November 2012 (11) battlefields in which Sailors work side-by-side with their Army and Air Force counterparts. October 2012 (7) There is no race aboard ships at sea, no distinction on which bed in a U.S. Navy hospital or clinic one will receive based solely on the color of their skin. The very nature of the job we September 2012 (9) perform precludes anything other than the concerted efforts of those who have chosen to August 2012 (12) wear the uniform of the organization, the name of which is emblazoned above the left breast pocket of the U.S. Navy working uniform. July 2012 (13) June 2012 (17) Even though there is a diverse array of cultures within the Navy, an enormous spectrum of May 2012 (22) upbringings and differences, there is little tension between those who come from different areas of the country, from different areas of the world. April 2012 (14) March 2012 (13) During some of our darker moments, that wouldn’t have been the case. February 2012 (14) African-Americans could only serve in limited capacities during some of the earlier conflicts January 2012 (13) in which the United States was involved, and even up until 50 years ago some communities within the Navy maintained a dividing line on what a person might accomplish, solely based December 2011 (13) on the color of his skin. November 2011 (20) October 2011 (22) The progress we have made is not merely chance – think about that during this holiday. The Sailors who have gone before you have ensured the way of life we enjoy today through their September 2011 (12) sacrifice, through their commitment and courage, to persevere in the face of adversity from August 2011 (16) the country they chose to defend. http://navymedicine.navylive.dodlive.mil/archives/4056[2/25/2015 2:57:40 PM]