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(upbeat music)

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- MLK Day is important
because it's an opportunity

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for us to reflect on all the strides

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that were taken by Reverend
Dr. Martin Luther King

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during a tumultuous time
in American history.

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Where we grew and expanded as a nation.

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And so when I reflect back
and I think about that moment,

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a lot of the efforts
underway during that time,

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laid the foundation so
that individuals like me,

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could thrive today.

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And that fight continues
today as well as we recognize

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that this is a continuous kind of endeavor

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to bring about equality in
the United States of America.

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- MLK day, is important to me because,

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as we apply the core values in Air Force,

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we think about integrity,
service and excellence.

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His excellence obviously is inspiring

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and it makes me see that you can be a part

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of something greater than yourself

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in order to be great
individually and collectively.

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- MLK Day is important to me

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because I feel he set an
example of perseverance

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and being able to continue on

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in the midst of adversity.

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(upbeat music)

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- His efforts affected the
military because women and men

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we can work together all races.

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I feel like everyone comes together

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and we can just get the mission done.

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- We're all standing for something

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that's bigger than ourselves.

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And when I put on this uniform every day,

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I'm proud to know that
I actually have a voice

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and I'm fighting for the
people that come ahead

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and they wear this uniform

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and they can wear it proudly.

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- As we expand on the initial question,

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we can apply service before self.

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So he put himself in imminent danger,

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he put himself in harm's way.

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And he was brave enough
to see his purpose out.

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And I think that, that's
something that all of us

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that put on the uniform can
kind of definitely relate to.

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And in doing so we again,

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we become part of something
bigger than ourselves.

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(upbeat music)

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- What speaks to me
the most is his efforts

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to stand for something
that's bigger than himself.

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It's not just about it
wasn't just about him.

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He was thinking forward
thinking for the future,

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not just for himself,

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but for his kids and the
people that came after.

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- Dr. Martin Luther King's
legacy speaks most to me.

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He was just like us.

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So he was a young man, he was thriving.

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He hit a rough patch, he lost his faith,

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but then he came to.

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So he stayed resilient
and focused on his mission

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and what he wanted to
do and he let any person

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or group of people or company
or anything like that,

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stop him within his tracks.

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- MLK actually happens to be
a fraternity brother of mine,

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he crossed Alpha Phi Alpha
fraternity incorporated

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at Boston University.

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And I happen to be a member
of that same fraternity

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and so when I think about
the aims of the fraternity,

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that speaks to me of manly deeds,

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scholarship and love for all mankind.

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I think about that love
for all mankind piece

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with the fraternity and
that speaks to my heart

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because that's the way I try
to operate as a commander

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here at Joint Base Andrews.

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I try to operate with love
and care for the airmen

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that I'm trusted to lead.

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So that absolutely speaks to me today.

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(upbeat music)

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- My favorite MLK quote is,

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"Darkness cannot drive out darkness,

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"only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate,

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"only love can do that."

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And that's from his Strength
to Love speech in 1963.

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And how that really resonates with me is,

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I believe, like when I come
into work if people are down

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or are having a bad mood
or something like that,

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I just wanna bring that positive energy

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and positive vibe because if I continue on

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with their bringing negative energy,

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nothing's going to get done.

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Nobody's gonna be on the up and up.

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So I just truly believe
that if we stay humble,

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have love within our hearts
and care for one another,

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we'll drive out anything that's
not working in our favor.

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- My favorite MLK quote is,

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"If you can't fly, then run.
If you can't run, then walk.

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"If you can't walk, then
crawl. But whatever you do,

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"just keep moving forward."

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- My favorite MLK quote will have to be,

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"Faith is taking the first
step when you can't see

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"the whole stair case."

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And I love that because
faith is everything

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and if you don't have faith,
then you don't have anything.

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(upbeat music)

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- I think how we could
keep his legacy going is,

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empowering our youth by
giving them a sense of pride

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in who they are and where they came from,

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and the history of African Americans.

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And showing them that
when the going gets tough,

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you still have to keep going.

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- We think about a
baton and we think about

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a relay race is a team effort,

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something that can't be done by yourself

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in order to finish the course.

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Dr. Martin Luther King was a giant,

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so therefore we're
standing on his shoulders.

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He led the way and I think the best way

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we can fulfill his legacy
is follow his example.

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But also we have to
kinda like pave a way for

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our legacy that we wanna
leave behind as well.

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- I think we can keep the
king legacy going by leading

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with love and leading with courage.

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When you reflect back on
some of the tremendous

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strides during King's kind of run

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as a civil rights leader in America.

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He led with love and he led with courage.

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His focus was on equality his
focuses was on taking care

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of individuals to our
left and to our right,

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no matter their religion,

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no matter their race, or background.

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And I feel like that is something

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that we can absolutely capture today,

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as we embody and move forward
with wing men concepts

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of taking care of our wing
men to our left and our right.

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(upbeat music)