Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher Veloicaza | SINGAPORE (Feb 8, 2018) – Capt. John Wilshusen, commanding officer, Military Sealift...... read more read more
The Singapore Area Coordinator (SAC) celebrated African American / Black History Month during a community luncheon and presentation at its Terror Club Feb. 8, 2018. This year’s theme, “African Americans in Times of War,” recognizes the contributions African Americans have made to the nation during times of war.
The community event, which gathered more than 200 participants, included guest speakers from the Sembawang military community with opening remarks from Capt. John Wilshusen, commanding officer, Military Sealift Command Far East (MSCFE), who recollected on his earliest experiences in the U.S. Navy in the early 80s. He explained how his lack of exposure with African Americans while growing up in Central Missouri didn’t prepare him for the world and how enlisting in the U.S. Navy did prepare him.
“The Navy gave me a framework to begin to understand that there is a different world out there and it gave me a context to put that in,” Wilshusen said. “It gave me a discipline system to understand that and sometimes it takes that.”
For guest speaker Commander Joel Harvey, the chief staff officer for MSCFE, celebrating African American / Black History Month was about remembering the people of past and present. He described certain events in military history in which African Americans experienced strife in paving the way for African Americans as a whole. Yet despite this ‘paving of the way’ for African Americans, Harvey highlighted the fact that there are still strides to be made towards acceptance.
“We’ve come so far that we can’t go back,” Harvey said. “The world is the way it is, especially for African Americans and other ethnicities like Hispanics; it’s not over.”
After Harvey’s speech, the SAC Diversity Heritage Committee members honored past and present African American service members by describing their past contributions. These included, Master Chief Carl Brashear, Chief Gunner’s Mate John Henry Turpin and Phyllis Mae Dailey to name a few.
The highlight of the event came when keynote speaker and Purple Heart recipient Senior Chief (SW/AW) C.J. Eison, of Military Sealift Command, Ship Support Unit, drew a standing ovation. Eison kept in step with this month’s theme of “African Americans in Times of War,” by describing the events that took place during Operation Iraqi Freedom II, in which he earned the Bronze Star Medal with Combat “V” and a Purple Heart.
In 2004, Eison served as Platoon Corpsman for 1st Platoon, Company B, Battalion Landing Team 1/4, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operation Capable). He was awarded the Bronze Star for risking his own safety on several occasions to render aid to wounded Marines while under constant enemy fire during a battle which took place in a cemetery in the Iraqi city of An Najaf from August 5-6, 2004.
During the first two days of battle, Eison saved the lives of several Marines and Sailors who were wounded in combat. However, during the third night of battle, his platoon was attacked by heavy mortar fire. One mortar round struck only a few feet from Eison and wounded him and a few Marines.
According to Eison, the wounded Marines were calling to him for help, but he was unable able to render aid due to severe shrapnel wounds to his lower extremities. In Eison’s award citation it goes on to describe that, “...he maintained his composure and assisted the platoon sergeant in finding the necessary medical supplies to treat the other wounded Marines, then instructed the platoon sergeant in how to treat his own wounds.”
Eison ended his address to the audience with a humble statement that he was, “Just doing what he was trained to do.”
| Date Taken: | 02.08.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 02.08.2018 22:43 |
| Story ID: | 265315 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 194 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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