“When I think of Martin Luther King, I think of the fight for equality and treating everyone with love and respect,” began Lt. j.g. Mary Anderson, a logistics specialist assigned to Naval Medical Forces Atlantic (NMFL). ”This allows me to have compassion for everyone regardless of their gender, race, or creed. It is seeing each person for who they are on the inside and not the outside.”

King was a minister and civil rights activist who advocated to end segregation through nonviolent protests, to include the Montgomery Bus Boycott. He also led the “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom” in 1963 and was instrumental in the passage of legislation that strengthened voting rights and banned discrimination on people of color. In 1964, King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his dynamic leadership of the Civil Rights Movement and commitment to achieving racial justice through peaceful action. Shortly after his death in 1968, cities, and states across the country honored King on his birthday, Jan. 15.

“I think any time that we are taking a day to think about others, how they’re treated, what we’re doing; I think that will encourage more of that behavior,” expressed Chief Religious Programs Specialist Angel Tulp, the regional pastoral care services senior enlisted leader assigned to NMFL. “What we practice becomes what we are.” 

In 1983, a bill was signed into law to honor King and his contributions annually on the third Monday in January through a federal holiday, Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Day. The continuing Department of Defense theme for the observance is “Remember! Celebrate! Act! A Day On … Not A Day Off” in commemoration of King and in support of a national day of public service engagement. This year marks the 30th anniversary of this national day of service. 

“My personal commitment to MLK’s ideals is to provide service to all those that are in need,” stated Angela Hinton, a financial management analyst with NMFL. “It doesn’t matter what they do or don’t have. If they are in need, service is what we do. Service is who we should be and what we should strive to live for.” 

The Department of the Navy (DON) is committed to honoring King's legacy and removing workplace barriers impeding the recruitment and retention of a more diverse workforce. Furthermore, the DON is unwavering in its promise to foster an inclusive environment where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.

“I look at our most prolific leaders in history, many of them were never in an elected position to make change from that platform,” reflected NMFL Command Master Chief Zachary Pryor. “They were grassroots leaders, who led from the deck plate to make the changes happen. That is what is so inspiring to me about Mr. King, he did it all without political office, just being a force of nature!”

NMFL, headquartered in Portsmouth, Virginia, delivers operationally focused medical expertise and capabilities to meet Fleet, Marine and Joint Force requirements by providing equipment, sustainment and maintenance of medical forces during combat operations and public health crises. NMFL provides oversight for 21 NMRTCs, logistics, and public health and dental services throughout the U.S. East Coast, U.S. Gulf Coast, Cuba, Europe, and the Middle East.

Navy Medicine – represented by more than 44,000 highly-trained military and civilian health care professionals – provides enduring expeditionary medical support to the warfighter on, below, and above the sea, and ashore.