Naval Station Guantanamo Bay residents gathered at the U.S. Marine Garrison Hill Obstacle Course to celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Jan. 13. The event was sponsored by the Joint Task Force Guantanamo Joint Visitors' Bureau.

The MLK Obstacle Course honored Martin Luther King Jr. who overcame obstacles while fighting for racial equality during the Civil Rights Movement and throughout his personal life.

"We appreciate the obstacles he overcame and we use him as a symbol," said the event organizer. "The last time they did an MLK event, it was a march from the Naval Exchange to the top of Marine Hill. This is the first time the obstacle course has been used to commemorate MLK."

The fourteen training obstacles were used by Marines dating back to World War II to engage the enemy and support our nation's freedoms. The course consisted of various obstacles, including a wooden wall the participants had to pull themselves over and a twenty-foot rope climb.

"A lot of people take for granted these days off. It's taking a step back and appreciating it for what it is," said the event organizer.

Dr. King's birthday observance is one of 12 special observances managed by the Department of Defense's Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute. The Special Observance Programs are managed by the command's Equal Opportunity Program Manager, who acts as an advisor.

"We came up with a plan to do the obstacle [course] because during Dr. Martin Luther King's lifespan, he faced a lot of obstacles," said the JTF-GTMO EO advisor. "Each obstacle represents some significant event that happened during Dr. Martin Luther King's life. What we wanted people to do was take a moment, do the obstacle and read about an obstacle which Martin Luther King faced. . . Each obstacle represents a fight that Dr. Martin Luther King had."

"People still have pervasive attitudes that aren't conducive to positive working relationships today. (This is) because they harbor those feelings because those attitudes have not changed in some people," said Brigadier General Charles Stevenson, deputy commander, Joint Task Force Guantanamo. "That's where you have a present state of mind to make a difference in those folks and how you manifest those behaviors."

Stevenson added since the heart or the mind can't be legislated, the various Civil Rights Acts made it possible for all Americans to have equal opportunities which weren't offered to everyone in the past.
"This is my first time participating in such an athletic event for MLK Day," said a course participant. "Reading about Dr. King's obstacles in comparison to the ones we're physically encountering here helps you realize just how strong he was."

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