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FATHERS DAY 2004
Black America’s Patriarchs are Patriots

 “For most African Americans, the United States' entry into World War I in the Spring of 1917 held the promise that patriotic service could improve their opportunities and treatment in postwar America. W. E. B. Du Bois, the nation's principal African American leader, called on fellow blacks to ‘close our ranks shoulder to shoulder with our white fellow citizens.’ ‘Unstinting patriotism,’ he wrote, would result in “ the right to vote and the right to work and the right to live without insult.” In hindsight, after 87-years of painfully slow progress, W.E. B. DuBois surely would be disappointed that it took for his passionate words to become little more than wishful thinking.
Even so, Black patriarch’s “unstinting patriotism” is no less today than it was when Crispus Attucks took the first bullet for a nation that has yet to fully appreciate brave, Black men who have always been and shall be ready, willing and anxious to fight and die for their nation--under God-- that they pledge alliance to. For sure, made in America Africans have never been allowed an equal right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness (on a level playing field), in the land of the free. Nevertheless, we salute every Black dad who will be spending Father’s Day 2004 demonstrating “unstinting patriotism” as a member of the United States Armed Forces throughout a war torn and dangerous world.
Father’s like SFC. Damon Brody, a career solider, that personifies African warriors, who proudly serve America with “unstinting patriotism. ” For sure, since he’s also a Black history buff, he isn’t naïve about the military’s problems. Thus, the following excerpt from a Rush Limbaugh communiqué amused him? “I think the vast differences in compensation between victims of the September 11 casualty and those who die serving the country in Uniform are profound. No one is really talking about it either, because you just don't criticize anything having to do with September 11. Well, I just can't let the numbers pass by because it says something really disturbing about the entitlement mentality of this country,” the ultra conservative talk show hosts riles.
“If you lost a family member in the September 11 attack, you're going to get an average of $1,185,000. The range is a minimum guarantee of $250,000, all the way up to $4.7 million. If you are a surviving family member of an American soldier killed in action, the first check you get is a $6,000 direct death benefit, half of which is taxable. Next, you get $1,750 for burial costs. If you are the surviving spouse, you get $833 a month until you marry. And there's a payment of $211 per month for each child under 18. When the child hits 18, those payments come to a screeching halt. Keep in mind that some of the people who are getting an average of $1.185 million up to $4.7 million are complaining that it's not enough.
“Their deaths were tragic, but for most, they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Soldiers put themselves in harms way FOR ALL OF US, and they and their families know the dangers. If some of the military people stay in for 20 years and get out as an E-7, you may receive a pension of $1,000 per month, and the very people who placed you in harm's way receive a pension of $15,000 per month. I would like to see our elected officials pick up a weapon and join ranks before they start cutting out benefits and lowering pay for our sons and daughters who are now fighting. ‘When do we finally do something about this?’ If this doesn't seem fair to you, it is time to forward this to as many people as you can. If your interested there is more…”

Brody, the son of former HABJ secretary, Pat Sullivan and an All-state widereciever for Robert E. Lee High School’s class of ’88 responds: “Thanks to emulating you Mr. Warrior, I’m in Military Intelligence, so I recognize propaganda. Quite frankly, my comrades knew what they were signing up for. So, Rush can just get a life.” It isn’t difficult to see why Brody, set records (going across the middle to catch Pete Gardere’s passes), in high school. “I know Black people buy into the propaganda that the military is bottom heavy with us because it’s the best option for poor Black youths, who join the Army to escape poverty,” Brody explains “What people must understand is that many African Americans are in the military because we’re born warriors. Especially those who came through the ROTC.

“The ROTC trained us to be warriors, not mercenaries.” Brody, who played football on Archie “Gunslinger” Cooley’s run and shoot teams at Arkansas @ Pine Bluff, highly recommends the ROTC for African Americans. Ergo, he shares the following history for their consideration: “The National Defense Act of 1916 provided for the establishment of Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) detachments at US colleges and universities. Historically Black colleges has benefited from the ROTC from the first Student Army Training Corps to contemporary advanced programs. The good news is, ROTC is available in over 1,000 colleges and universities throughout the U.S., both those that host ROTC units or detachments and those with cross-enrollment agreements with them. ROTC Scholarships are not necessary for participation in ROTC, but hundreds of ROTC students receive scholarships every year.

“Scholarships are competitively awarded on merit. The main considerations are: *High school academic record * SAT or ACT scores, Extracurricular activities *Personal interview.” Damon, for sure, took full advantage of what the ROTC had to offer, especially after his sister SFC. Dawn Williams came home in her uniform to attend his commencement exercises from high school. “I knew football was in my immediate future, but while at Pine Bluff from 88-94, I began to realize the military was where my heart was,” says Damon, a superior athlete in several sports. He only smiles when one suggests that he went to Airborne School in 1994, because he craved action, long before he got his orders to go to Iraq.

Then, SFC. Damon Brody, snaps into his husband/father’s role, “My wife, Caprice, my soul mate and backbone understands how important the military is to this country, but as a father dealing with any threat to our nation is personal. I have two very beautiful daughters, Britne 14 and Dimon 8. They are the ‘Apple of my eye.’ And I would go to hell and fight the devil to keep them safe from terror. That’s why I don’t have a problem with spending Father’s Day fighting against terrorist in Iraq.” Unstinting patriotism notwithstanding, Happy Father’s Day to all America’s warrior dads.