Georgia Military College held its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Ceremony on Jan. 13 and hosted Command Sergeant Major, USA (Ret.), Ira L. Weaver to speak this year.
Before the ceremony began, a slideshow of photos of Martin Luther King Jr. played with backdrops of serene music. Whispers from the crowd could be heard in the background before the cadets took the stage to begin the ceremony with special thanks and the Pledge of Allegiance.
Then narrator, GMC Prep School cadet Maggie Parkman, of the event led attendees in a brief history of MLK Day. Legislation made Martin Luther King Jr.
Day a federal holiday in the United States in 1983, and the first nationwide observance took place in 1986. The holiday recognizes Reverend Martin Luther KingJr., who advocated the use of nonviolent means to end racial segregation and was a major figure in the Civil Rights movement.
“Martin Luther King Jr. was a worldwide symbol for the struggle towards universal racial equality and a symbol of hope for the oppressed,” said Parkman “He was in the fullest sense of the word “a good man” and we honor his memory today with this ceremony.”
After this introduction, keynote speaker Weaver came to the stage. Weaver is a native of Ashburn, Georgia. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on Jan. 12, 1994, and attended Airborne School, where he reported to the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C. His senior enlisted leadership positions included Company and Battery First Sergeant for multiple units, G6 Sergeant Major for the 1st Armored Division and the 82nd Airborne Division, Battalion and Brigade Command Sergeant Major, and Senior Enlisted Advisor J6 to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM). Weaver retired from the Army in 2021 after serving for over 27 years.
“Today we are here to honor a great man,” said Weaver. “I did not grow up alongside Dr. King but I was benefited by the strenuous Herculean efforts of the men and women of this era.”
Weaver begins his speech noting the famous “I Have a Dream” speech given by Martin Luther King Jr. at the March on Washington on Aug. 28, 1963. However, Weaver then chooses to highlight a speech by King that was given to Stanford University in 1967. The speech was known as “The Other America.” The speech discussed the different lives of social classes in America. In this speech, he uses the phrase “two Americas” and proceeds to explain the difference between these Americas.
To listen to the excerpt from that speech read by Weaver visit Georgia Military College’s YouTube channel and start “Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” at 9:14 and listen until 10:17.
“As Dr. King had a dream, most of these families mentioned also had dreams of breaking the burden of poverty, breaking the mindset of inferiority, and seeking the way to the “other Americas,” said Weaver.
Weaver connects this speech to his personal life, highlighting that his family dreamed of the first mention of America. His mother worked endless jobs and attended to the duties of a housewife while his father was a farm hand. Weaver was the oldest of six kids and relents that his father had a third grade education and his mother had a seventh grade education.
“They did an outstanding job raising us but there was no talk of college at the dinner table but ladies and gentlemen, I am here to tell you that I am a product of the “other Americas,” said Weaver to the crowd confidently. “I had dreams that were always overcome by the work needed to be conducted on the farm. My days after school were spent working with no other obligations. At that time, I did not know there were colleges out there that could change my life to prosperity and so, after graduation, I worked on our farm full-time until my mid-20’s.”
Weaver relents that his younger brother did not follow the status-quo and instead joined the Air Force in 1992. Seeing his brother’s change of path and noticing two of his friends doing the same, Weaver decided to take “a leap of faith” to join the U.S. Army in 1994.
“...I reported to Fort Jackson for basic training and was put into a leadership position. I believe they placed me in a leadership position because of my maturity but leadership came easy to me nonetheless because I had been placed in these positions on the farm,” said Weaver. “This would become the primary turning point of my life.”
Weaver stated this became a turning point because it allowed him to break the mentality established to him since he was a child. When visiting the farm again, as an older adult, the 83-year-old owner came up to him and said “I knew you were a good one.” According to Weaver, these words have always been on his mind and made him wonder why she said that.
“Was it because I was African American or because it was a normal aspect of Georgia? I guess some should not achieve more than the prior generations had,” said Weaver.
These words echoed in his mind throughout his journey to join the Air Force. And Weaver would come to realize what the “other America” was when he joined the 82nd Division that was called “All American” and would spend a total of 18 years in different positions within the division.
“Joining the 82nd Division changed my life… but the truth of the matter is that I would not be here today without my early experiences in my hometown of Ashburn,” said Weaver. “I served 27 years, 10 months, and 19 days on active duty and reached the rank of command sergeant major all to accomplish the dream of breaking the generational mindset that Aspen was enough.”
Weaver closed his speech stating that he not only achieved this dream but also achieved his dream of opening Weaver Family Farms. No matter an individual’s experience or the mindsets forced upon them, everyone has a dream and has the potential to achieve it.