European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 14, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Consciousness does t fade away Larry Vick Lack history month Means different things to different people. For me Black history month is a time to reflect. It s the time when 1 ask myself hard questions about my continuing commitment to the cause and whether my expectations for improved race relations Are still realistic. I think they Are and i Hope you will too after this explanation. During the late 50s and Early 60s, i had the Opportunity to experience albeit As a child pre civil rights America. I got the Chance to be mystified by White Only neighbourhoods such As . Society for the prevention of niggers getting everything. These encounters would prompt me to Corral my parents and ask Why their answer to me in words that were always spoken with a mixture of resentment and Hope was that s the Way it is son. But it won t be like this when you grow up and have  such soot saying was believable Tome and went a Long Way in softening the effect of these periodic jolts to my universe. I believed the predictions of my parents for Many reasons. They were after All the grandchildren of slaves. My Mother often shared with us her Mem ories of being a child and hearing her 100-year-old grandmother testify about the Day the chains came  she also told us about her Grandfather and How he won his Freedom fighting in he civil War. A Pho to graph depicting him in a Union uniform still hangs proudly in my parents bedroom. It s no won Der then that my parents expressed Hope. With the disease of slavery so fresh in their minds a few ves Tiges of Jim Crow Laws weren t going to make the world Stop spinning. Now i have a family of my own including a son who s the same age i was when i began to sense there was More to being Black than one s skin color. My son s sensitivity to racism was brought Home to me one night while the family was viewing prime time live. It was the episode where they used two men one Black and one White in undercover roles to unearth discriminatory treatment from department store employees landlords and even car dealerships. After a few minutes of watching in disbelief my son yelled out gee dad did you see that they blew that Black Guy off big time can they do that 1 started to answer but was stopped Short by an unsettling sense of Dej i Vul As my spirit flashed Back to my adolescence. As my mind retreated the angry expression on my son s face made me feel embarrassed As i recollected the convenient sense of denial i Clung to when i was his age. A denial that the Whites Only signs were meant for me. I was Able to cling to such denial because 1 lived up North and was Only visiting my grandmother s farm in North Carolina. My transient status allowed a defiant inner voice at the time to persuade me that coloured people up North would never let White peo ple treat them like  i was to learn later in College that such exercises in denial Are a common feature among disenfranchised people especially those who believe they rightfully fall outside the ring of inclusion. All of these thoughts were reverberating in my head As i refocused on my son s agitated face. The much anticipated words were out of my Mouth be fore i had a Chance to think about their Impact. In an almost reflex action i said that s the Way it is son. But things arc getting  needless to say my son is a bit More outspoken than the children of my generation. He was t about to let me off the Hook that easily. He said of yeah How Are they getting better i tried to explain the basis for my optimism but the look on his 9-year-old face left no doubt he was t As sure As i was. Sat Back in my easy chair and began soul searching. Why was i optimistic should i be sure i had been fortunate enough to get one of the few allocations set aside for minorities at my col lege and Law school in the late 60s and Early "70s and i be also enjoyed a successful career in the judge advocate general s corps. At the same time i still find it necessary to rebut presumptions held by Many people regarding Black professionals e.g., they did t get where they Are on their own merits but instead Rode the Crest of affirmative action. I get More frustrated when i think about the Large percentage of Blacks who Lack even my indicia of achievement and who have to rebut a great Many More presumptions. Despite these facts of Black life i still can t help feeling Good about the future. One of the main Rea sons is you the army family my feelings about the army and its members Are probably Best captured in the song old soldiers never be it s a testament to the enduring spirit of the american Soldier. Whenever 1 hear it i see this image of a person with extra human qualities acquired through a lifetime of serving god and coun try. I believe in the lyrics of this song. I believe that As More and More of our soldiers and family members return to the civilian world after saying goodbye to military society and its unique Les sons America s communities Are going to been Riched. I truly believe our soldiers and their families will make a difference. I want to believe that the years of caring for one another As Only military peo ple Are called upon to do will continue to influence our interracial relationships As we return to places such As los Angeles new York and Small town . I want to believe that the years of sacrifice and willingness to face unknown dangers will give us the courage to speak out when we see our neighbors and friends practising racism borne of ignorance and fear. I know that each of us in uniform As Well As family members has had to tackle his own attitudes about race. The interdependent nature of military life com Pels it. For example any time a paratrooper has to Check other soldiers lifesaving equipment i m certain that the soldiers whose equipment is checked could t care less about skin color but Are Only concerned about their inspector s competence and Devotion to duty. I mention this example Only to underscore the fact that each of us has numerous similar episodes we can recount. 1 beseech you not to Bury these experiences when you take off that uniform for the last time. These experiences helped make you a professional Soldier. A professional Soldier who i Hope will never die. U. Col. Larry Vick is stationed in Mannheim. Germany. Send in your column plus a photo of yourself to be our guest sunday Magazine the stars and stripes Apo 09211 or Postrach 1114 37, d-6100 Darmstadt 11, Germany. Opening laugh Usa your Honor to few trim  contents from the cover. 4-7love connections. . .,., 89 trying to interview Richard Gere. Clarence Page on the Hillary hysteria. Odds & ends. 10enna Bombeck on the Long and Short of hair. Few 1 of mfg �?�,., 11the movie Aims of Camilla Overbye Roos. This week s films. 12.13 Chuck Vinch on loaded weapon i. " cafes circuit listings. Television listings. 14-17local, Cable and satellite schedules. Home entertainment. ,18ray gotta a babe but nuts in unlawful entry. Joe Bob Briggs on fixing bodies.  24words & wit Tony Konheiser in t buying today s ads. La 25tlie dissection of the persian Gulf War. On Parade 27 the sweetness of Alice Harris.  9v4t w v vow a w we v Dave Barry not exactly a Young stud. 28 sunday is a weekly supplement of the stars and stripes editor Bucky Fox Art direction Susan p. Harris production Mon Trice Presley. Denise Adam editorial assistance Louis d. Pierce Page 2 sunday february k j993