This month we honor Martin Luther King Jr. for his dedication to the Civil Rights Movement and issues of social justice. Forty-three years after his assassination we, as a nation, still strive to fully recognize those who are disenfranchised and struggling for equal recognition and treatment by our society, whether black, gay, transgender, and so on. Our active duty servicemembers and veterans are all of those. They come from all walks of life and deserve the same treatment and respect as any other. We hope that their service to their country stands alone as the testament to their character and not anything else.
As much as our nation struggles with its own diversity, we do make those necessary changes albeit slowly. We saw this years ago with the full inclusion of blacks and women within our military. Now we celebrate the end of DADT (Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell) and LGBT active duty now able to serve openly in our armed forces.
We owe a great deal to Martin Luther King Jr. for his perseverance and dedication in the face of open hostility and subversive elements as well. The stance he held so fervently and which ultimately cost him his life honors us all as Americans. He fought for all Americans and thus all soldiers and veterans, even if that was not his work directly. The valiant work for equality still yields fruit today.
