Courtesy Photo | GREAT LAKES, Ill. (February 28, 2020) Electrician's Mate 1st Class Brett Bridges talks...... read more read more
Great Lakes (Feb. 28, 2020)— Sailors at Surface Warfare Engineering School Command (SWESC) Great Lakes celebrated Black History Month themed “Honoring the Past, Securing the Future” on Feb 28.
Organized by the command’s Sailor 360 organization, this year’s theme focuses on commemorating the 75th Anniversary of World War II by recognizing the contributions and sacrifices African American service members made as well as those who served on the home front.
"The goal of Black History Month is to expose the larger community to the rich heritage, culture, and history of African Americans," said Chief Machinist’s Mate Michael Fogle, Sailor 360 coordinator at SWESC. "And, in doing so, eliminate some of the barriers that divide us as a nation. Look at where we are now; we have African-American flag officers, commanding officers and command master chiefs. When we look back, we see that their struggle helped improved life for all of us and for future generations of African-Americans."
Examples of those heroes and patriots include the 452nd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion and the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion.
The 452nd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion, an all-African-American anti-aircraft artillery unit in the U.S. Army, is credited with taking down 88 German warplanes, 68 of those with confirmed kills and 19 as partially confirmed kills.
Led by Commander Charity Adams Earley, the all-Black 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion was formed to sort and clear a two-year backlog of mail for Americans stationed in Europe. Between the Army, Navy, Army Air Forces, Red Cross, and uniformed civilian specialists, that amounted to seven million people awaiting their mail. Their motto, “No Mail, Low Morale.”
SWESC Commanding Officer Cmdr. Shawn Gibson spoke to the audience expressing his honor to have the opportunity to talk about the diversity of the Navy and highlight the contributions of Black Americans, past and present who have served and continue to serve.
"Events such as this serve to further not only the education of the Sailors working here, but the countless other individuals with whom they have contact," Gibson said. "We might all come from different backgrounds, different areas of the world, but we all have chosen in one way or another to serve the United States Navy. Diversity makes us stronger because it brings different ideas and perspectives to the table. We should take these celebrations as an opportunity to learn and grow as an organization."
| Date Taken: | 02.28.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 03.02.2020 13:36 |
| Story ID: | 364301 |
| Location: | GREAT LAKES, ILLINOIS, US |
| Web Views: | 33 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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