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A Memorial Day Salute To Colin Kaepernick
Memorial Day 2018 started out like most of them have in my lifetime, solemn, quiet, and reflective. But half-way through the day, I needed something to put me in the spirit of today’s celebration.
I had, by this time, given thanks to my Uncle John and Uncle Paul.My uncles served this country in Korea during the days of segregation. Both of them entered the service of the country shortly after President Harry S. Truman had integrated the military.
Each returned to their father’s farm in Middle Georgia in the mid-1950s and were immediately re-acquainted with segregation and second-class citizenship.
When their lives ended, they were buried with military honors.
I recalled when my Uncle Paul transpired in 1981, while on active duty stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia, how appalled his widow was when she received from the government a pension of $.76.
For men who give so much to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America, the government gives little back.
By mid-day, I needed more meaning to put their service into perspective. A friend in Hampton, Virginia sent me the acceptance speech of Colin Kaepernick for an award he recently received from Amnesty International.
