A Gentleman Soldier Votes for President.
Yesterday marked two years since his passing, yet I feel as though it was just yesterday. He is with me still and his purposeful voice resonates in my spirit at every turn. My father was a proud American Soldier despite his humble beginnings. He believed in this country and although he endured all the social injustice and racism that any black man born and raised in the 20's rural South was exposed to, I never once heard a word of anger or racial slur directed against any group, or any person for that matter.
Even when he shared with me that during WWII his train was turned back on the way to France because they did not want Black soldiers, he told the story as matter of fact. He was never bitter but always hopeful. I was his hope. There was no obstacle according to him that could keep me from realizing "any dream you set your mind to." "Just be honest, keep your life and your record clean; pay your bills on time and keep your nose to the grinding stone."
Today, I still look to him for advice and I realize that he has already given me the answers. I know that he would expect me to vote. I know that he would direct me towards the candidate who represents hope and change. After serving this country while in the military and as a civilian for more than four decades, my father would be voting for the candidate who represents everything that he worked and sacrificed for. He would vote for the person who was a bright, responsible and of good character; who believed in education and strong families; individual freedom, equal rights and opportunities for all Americans. He would vote for the candidate that possesses all that he embodied and stood for during his life.
I believe that for the sake of his wife, his children, grandchildren and future great-grandchildren, my father would be voting for Barack Obama. When I vote, I will be his voice.