Austin Texas,
Berkstrom Air Force Base: 1963 - President John F. Kennedy was
assassinated on November 22, 1963. Within a short time I found myself
transformed to Berkstrom AFB to augment security when President Lyndon
Johnson was at home on his ranch. When the President was not in Texas, I
performed Base Security duties which over the next year and a half
included military funerals for Texans Killed In Action in a place
called Vietnam, or Viet Nam, Indochina, or Viet something or other--the
papers hadn't decided on the spelling back then.
Charlie wasn't concerned with a
man's race when he killed him, so the military funerals naturally
included all races. The Air Force's Honor Guard, Flag Detail, and Bugler
included men of all races. I remember our detail being bused all over
Texas a couple of times a month. The song, gospel song, Amazing Grace,
still reminds me of countless military funerals. Born and raised in
Texas, those bus trips were my first eye-opener to racism.
When it came time to stop and eat,
the Air Force bus would pull into a lot and the Sergeant would go inside
to "see if they could handle a bus load of hungry Airmen."
What he later confided was that he was checking to see if they would
serve "colored" (Blacks). About half the time we were turned
away. At almost every place we ate the restrooms were labeled (as were
the water fountains) Men, Women, and Others.
Once, after being turned away
several times in a row, the two Black Airmen told us to go ahead and
eat, they would just wait in the bus. To a man, we refused. Another
Texan was in the detail and had brought along his guitar. He composed a
song called, Heaven's Gates: Men, Women, and Others and we all
laughed at its words which poked fun at bodiless-Red-Necks trying to
figure out which Pearlie Gate to enter.
I don't remember where we ended up
eating that night on the way back to base, but I do remember how proud I
felt of the American Airmen I served with.
