1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:00,000 2 00:00:05,440 --> 00:00:07,750 So on the 15th of April 2000 and 15 , 3 00:00:07,750 --> 00:00:10,980 when myself and Major General Kaufman 4 00:00:10,990 --> 00:00:14,320 had the opportunity to present a living 5 00:00:14,330 --> 00:00:18,090 Marfa Pump Marine a medal , I felt 6 00:00:18,100 --> 00:00:20,500 that that was history in the making 7 00:00:20,510 --> 00:00:23,160 because you had history back in 1942 8 00:00:23,240 --> 00:00:25,351 who paved the way for someone such as 9 00:00:25,351 --> 00:00:27,240 myself to be in to listen to what 10 00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:29,520 private first class Adams stated 11 00:00:29,530 --> 00:00:32,610 occurred during 1942 . That's something 12 00:00:32,620 --> 00:00:34,842 you have to experience yourself to feel 13 00:00:34,842 --> 00:00:37,860 this presence of history , uh , to be a 14 00:00:37,860 --> 00:00:40,230 part of it , to know who actually paved 15 00:00:40,230 --> 00:00:42,397 your way . It's like being right there 16 00:00:42,397 --> 00:00:44,286 with Rosa Parks and sitting right 17 00:00:44,286 --> 00:00:46,508 beside her , obeying with chesty puller 18 00:00:46,508 --> 00:00:48,508 and knowing what he went through in 19 00:00:48,508 --> 00:00:50,563 regards to all of the orders that he 20 00:00:50,563 --> 00:00:52,860 gave to his men when they were in war . 21 00:00:52,870 --> 00:00:55,092 To be sitting there made me feel like I 22 00:00:55,092 --> 00:00:57,203 was in a moment . He had the strength 23 00:00:57,203 --> 00:01:00,400 that I myself will have to find from 24 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:03,130 somewhere in order to survive what he 25 00:01:03,130 --> 00:01:05,241 went through . So in order for him to 26 00:01:05,241 --> 00:01:07,940 survive being spit on Ban talked about 27 00:01:07,950 --> 00:01:09,850 even by the commandant , then the 28 00:01:09,850 --> 00:01:12,017 Marine course they didn't he would not 29 00:01:12,017 --> 00:01:14,570 want to serve even 250,000 at the time , 30 00:01:14,570 --> 00:01:16,630 he said Negroes . But the fact that 31 00:01:16,630 --> 00:01:18,686 they went on and the stories that he 32 00:01:18,686 --> 00:01:21,080 told me how they did not get the same 33 00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:24,260 child that the counterparts received or 34 00:01:24,260 --> 00:01:26,380 he wasn't treated the same way or he 35 00:01:26,390 --> 00:01:28,001 did not seem to get the same 36 00:01:28,001 --> 00:01:30,810 recognition . To go through that and 37 00:01:30,810 --> 00:01:32,754 know that you are doing this for a 38 00:01:32,754 --> 00:01:34,910 bigger purpose almost brought me down 39 00:01:34,910 --> 00:01:37,590 to tears . It brought me Thio being 40 00:01:37,590 --> 00:01:39,640 more humble than what I am to even 41 00:01:39,640 --> 00:01:41,751 think of something I might go through 42 00:01:41,751 --> 00:01:43,973 because I'm upset made me forget that . 43 00:01:43,973 --> 00:01:46,140 Just thinking about what private first 44 00:01:46,140 --> 00:01:48,362 class Adam saying You come back and you 45 00:01:48,362 --> 00:01:50,418 go , Oh , my goodness , you pave the 46 00:01:50,418 --> 00:01:53,760 way through dignity through hunger , 47 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:57,290 through hatred . Jessel . Someone like 48 00:01:57,290 --> 00:02:00,690 me could honor what you've done and 49 00:02:00,700 --> 00:02:02,850 honor our core , and it was amazing .