Kirtland AFB honors legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

  • Published
  • By Brian Brackens
  • 377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
Kirtland Air Force Base, NM --  Team Kirtland celebrated the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Jan. 14 during an annual luncheon at the Mountain View Club.

The luncheon included a poetry reading by local poet Hakim Bellamy and Brig. Gen. Everett Thomas, then-commander of the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, delivered the keynote speech.

During the speech, General Thomas said that Dr. King was an American patriot.

"Most people don't apply the word 'patriot' to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. However, if you've heard or read any of his speeches or followed his activities, you heard words and saw actions of someone who loved his country," said General Thomas. "If you review his speeches and compare his comments, you'll find that his speeches mirrored words from some of our truest patriots. You'll find that he espoused the same common theme as our forefathers. That theme; love of one's country."

General Thomas said that we should honor Dr. King by helping others.

"We can act on his teachings by extending a hand to the needy and to those less fortunate. We can act by extending a hand to those that don't look like you or me and we can act by mentoring our youth."

Col. Robert Maness, commander of the 377th Air Base Wing, also spoke at the event.

"I think Dr. King would be very comfortable here, surrounded by men and women who volunteered to defend the America that he set on the course to live up to the values our founding fathers put in our documents and that we still follow today," said Colonel Maness. "Now the responsibility is on us to continue to live by the values that Dr. King lived by."