Like you, the military was the primary place where I first encountered blacks. Basic training at Ft. Knox kind of bonded everyone but we didn’t intermingle much. At Ft. Gordon Ga., I had good black friend, Henry Simms. On a Saturday night Henry went into Augusta with us white guys. You know what it was like back then, GIs out on the town on a Saturday night. We suddenly realized Henry was missing. We later saw Henry back at the barracks, not realizeing it at the time, but we were in an area where blacks we not welcome. Not being from the south I didn’t know, but Henry knew. Henry would do favors for me and I for him. Once there was something I didn’t want to do and that was it, as far as Henry was concerned we weren’t friends any longer. I guess he wasn’t as good a friend as I thought, anyway I felt bad about the incident. I remember getting a place off base and the landlord saying he wouldn’t rent to blacks. Moveing on to Germany changed my perspective. I remember taking my wife to a movie on post. The black men were the first to arrive and they sat in every other seat in the move theater, not allowing whites to sit together. The brass took care of that, although the base was racially charged. About the only blacks that I remember being friendly were married to white girls. As my tour was about up, Linda flew back to the states and I moved on base to clear post. My bunk mate was a black soldier. He was angry and had a chip on his shoulder concerning whitey. It was the first time I had things stolen in the army. From shoes, to things I had locked in my locker. Things that were gifts from home, and I had a chain on my locker. If blacks were in a group they were bolder, and confrontational, while being by themselves they weren’t that way. There were alot or racial incidents on post. My perspective of blacks while in the military took a plunge. My next encounter came at work. I was chosen to teach training classes for a period of 2 yrs. Two black women were in charge of the training dept. I butted heads with some good ole boys and the chips started to fall. The black women were among my strongest supporters and what was to be 2 yrs turned into 8 yrs. I became good friends with a black gentleman who pastored a church in Ft. Wayne. All three are like family to me. I like to remember the good. I’ve met other black people recently and they were very nice. What I see today is not like it was back then. I think there are people who make a living keeping things stirred up. I would be just as happy with a good black neighbor as a good white neighbor. I’ve had some bad white neighbors and it’s no picnic.

Growing up on the West coast as a child, I guess I was exposed to people of all races so I never really thought much about it at all.

My firt job in a Factory in Fort Wayne again I was exposed to different races. I do remember one black man who seemed to dislike everyone even the other black people in our department. The other black people seemed not to care much for him either.

One thing I have learned over the years is the color of the skin does not determin the the type of person one is. I have seen serveral good and bad regardless of their skin tone.

I just thank God that he is totally blind when it comes to race and or creed and cares only about our soles as should the rest of us.

My great-aunt that I visited every week-end until I was 5, lived in the middle of a black neighborhood. So all of my first friends were “black”. The only “white” children I knew were my cousins. I struggled when we moved to DeKalb county understanding “white” kids. Two of my aunts married African-American. I never meet the one, but I loved my Uncle Berry. I remember when he would come to visit, the family would come at night. And he wouldn’t go out of the house, because he didn’t want to put us in danger. I never understood until I grow up that Indiana was known for the KKK. I have had many African-American friends in my life, along with my cousins. Though Ken’s years in the military and my kids I am meeting people from all over the world. And I’ve learned the all the same (some good, some bad). Laugh: When Sunshine was in Kindergarten a “black” girl (no name) was picking on her. I talking to the teacher about the problem, she informed only one “black” girl in the class. But when she went to call the child over, Sunshine said “No not her, that girl there” The girl had black hair. It all depends on how we look at things.

my first experience with a colored person was at Ball State in Muncie as I met Wesley in the fall of 1978. He had transfered from the University of Southern California where his father was a proffessor. He grew tired of being under his fathers constant watchful eye and had dreams of his own. we were to be roommates but as fate would have I decided to live off campus ,but he became a successful doctor in Louisville Kentucky. When we lived in South Carolina Freda and I would go to the food bank in the center of the city and that’s where we met Miss Mae as we eveentually would help her in praying for the prostitutes, people in deep poverty and many others with problems. she was deep into the Lord and taught us alot about looking into the hearts of people as God does and finding something good about them regardless of how they were treated otherwise. She worked with a white pastor and his wife to run this place, and I was very humbled as was Freda just to be there as this was not a safe place to be. God loves all of his children, Red or Yellow or Black or White. all in love KerryD.

I have had far too many experiences with people of other races to describe here, but they have been overwhelming positive. To the political question: It was the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that said over 40 years ago that he hoped there would be a day when a person would be judged not by the color of his skin, but the content of his character. This attitude would require true forgiveness of all past wrongs, and a new thinking in society where everyone on all sides stopped considering race and labeling based on race. The above-mentioned example suggests that there are some people who have no intention of moving in that direction, making race the most important characteristic of a person. I have observed our President in word and deed, and I am sorry to say that he appears to be in that camp. I for one will continue to strive to be like Jesus: color-blind.