None of Us

I found it hard to sleep last night. Like all of you I am stunned, heartbroken and deeply saddened by the senseless brutal killing of George Floyd by police in broad daylight, in public, for all to see.

But I am not surprised.

The one question that continued to race through my mind all night was … how did we get here, again? 

I have been Black in America for 60 years which means that I remember MLK’s assignation in 1968 the last time America and the world so strongly protested and demanded enough was enough after 300 plus years of systemic racism and injustices for African Americans.

How did we get here, again?

Aren’t things supposed to be better for the Black community in post-MLK America 50 years later? Why is there still unchecked and widespread racism, discrimination, police brutality and social injustice in a country founded with a declaration that all people are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness?  

Didn’t we all stand up every day as kids in classrooms all across America to raise our right hands and in unison collectively state the following – “I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible with Liberty and Justice for All.”

Did none of us believe any of this? Or did some of us believe that it was meant for them but not all of us? Did some of us forget what we were taught as children about what it means to be an American?

You would think that we could agree that those who practice racism, discrimination, police brutality and social injustice are not just bad actors, that they are, in fact, un-American because of their anti-American actions. That they should put down those flags that they often drape themselves with as they carry out the most un-American acts imaginable in their public and private lives. I encourage you to ask the person in the mirror if they agree or disagree with this.    

So many questions deserve to be answered. After all, is that not what the demonstrators of all colors were looking for in 1968 and looking for again in 2020?

Answers.

I do not have the answer, so if you are looking for one from me you can stop here. I am grateful for this platform to express my outrage about what happened to our brother George Floyd and his family. My heartfelt condolences to them all and may he Rest in Peace.

Although I do not have the answer, I can share my personal experiences of seeing what happens when America lives up to its ideals and principles and spawns a few Unicorns to amaze us and inspire hope that George Floyd’s death was not in vain.

Unicorn Sighting 1: U.S. Army circa. 1970’s

My first experience was in the summer of 1975 as a skinny scared plebe (freshman) going through Beast Barracks training at West Point. Growing up in majority black neighborhoods in St Louis in the 60’s and early 70’s, I had never been around so many white people in my life. Of the over 1,000 members of the Class of 1979 about 40 or so of us were black. Practically all the upper-class cadets training us were white and were hell bent on putting 1,000 bean heads through a cauldron of intense pressure designed to forge cadets of intestinal fortitude, moral courage, character and compassion for each other and the soldiers we would soon be called upon to lead (we survived). 

In the early to mid-1970’s the Army had a race problem. There were many issues with African American soldiers being discriminated against during the Vietnam War and being treated poorly by the chain of command. By the time we showed up at West Point, the Army had had enough and under the Ford administration implemented a zero-tolerance policy for racism and discrimination in the military along with the appropriate training. The Army made zero-tolerance one of the key areas that officers and enlisted were rated on for promotion.

I was stunned at the focus on race relations, equal opportunity and leadership training that we received constantly that summer and throughout my years at West Point and into my time as an Army officer. It made me believe in the Army, its values, its purpose, its mission.

The military’s system of zero-tolerance has produced some of the greatest generals and leaders in American history over these past 50 years including General Colin Powell, Commander of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and U.S. Secretary of State; General Vincent K. Brooks, Commanding General US Forces Korea, United Nations Command and ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command; Lieutenant General Russel Honore, Commander Joint Task Force Katrina, First Army and 2nd Infantry Division; my West Point classmates Lieutenant General Charles Hooper, Director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency; Brigadier General Leo Brooks (Vince’s brother), former Commandant of Cadets at West Point and my nephew, combat fighter jet pilot and current Navy Blue Angels jet pilot Julius Bratton - Annapolis Class of 2011. There are countless others.

Zero-tolerance produced these American heroes but did not prevent other American heroes from fulfilling their destinies at the same time. Leaders with names like Schwarzkopf, Petraeus, Abizaid and Caslen.

Why didn’t other American institutions (financial, education, law enforcement, business, housing, political, judicial) make the same changes, to make the same progress and get the same results that the U.S. Military has over the past 50 years? Why do a lot of these institutions look and act like they did in 1968 in 2020?

Today, we are hearing from many retired and active duty military leaders as they bristle and push back at the injustices and improprieties they see in our system.

I am not surprised.

None of Us should tolerate this.

Kevin Miller 

Next in this series

Unicorn Sighting 2: The Two Toms - Thompson and Joyner - A post-9/11 partnership