By Tim Cherry
Staff Writer
Thursday, February 16, 2012

Fort Belvoir’s Black History Month observance commemorated the legacies of past and present African-Americans during a ceremony Feb. 14.

The Equal Opportunity Office hosted the festivities in the Fort Belvoir Officer’s Club, which showcased biographies and pictures of famous black Americans throughout the club’s Belvoir room.

The observance featured authentic African-American cuisine, an interactive skit and a speech from Command Sgt. Maj. Patrick Alston, U.S. Strategic Command senior enlisted leader.

Alston spoke about the 2012 theme for Black History Month: Black Women in American Culture and History.

“African-American women have played countless successful roles in making our nation what it is today. Their labor, their leadership, their motherhood, their devotion and their intelligence and inspiration have always encouraged both the African-American community and the nation at large,” Alston said.

Alston is the first Army Chemical Corps command sergeant major to work with a four-star general.

His military career began as a medical specialist at Fort Belvoir and he later reclassified to the Chemical Corps.

In 1993, he was assigned as a senior enlisted advisor White House Team Contingency Support Detachment and examined the survivability of weapons of mass destruction for former President Bill Clinton and his administration.

Alston attributes much of his career success to black women in his youth, his mother and four sibilings.

They provided him support and encouragement to be successful in all of his endeavors.

“I can hear the voice of my mother echoing not only in my ear but I can feel her heart beating in mine as she labored and sacrificed through life’s many difficulties to ensure my sisters and I stayed on the straight and narrow,” said Alston whose mother would comfort him with encouraging words during difficult times. “I have lived off of her voice my entire life.”

Alston also touched on the success stories of African-American women in the armed forces by mentioning people such as Maj. Gen. Marcia Anderson, the first African-American woman two-star general, and Command Sgt. Maj. Michele Jones, the First African-American woman command sergeant major of the Army Reserve.

“They are strong military leaders, leading from the front, representing with a proud sense of accomplishment to serve something greater themselves,” Alston said. “Their dedication, loyalty and leadership coupled with their hard work and sacrifices enrich … the nation at whole.”

Alston praised all past and present black females for their loving hearts, determination and perseverance through slavery, oppression and stereotypes.

He said black women are at the core of the African-American community and their strength will allow the race and country to prevail.

The celebration of black history started off as a week-long commemoration in 1926.

President Gerald Ford was the first president to recognize February as a month-long celebration of Black History in 1976 and each American leader has since endorsed the commemoration and an annual theme spotlighting a specific aspect of Black History.

N & R Productions helped celebrate this year’s theme by performing a short skit at the observance

The skit’s setting was in a professor’s laboratory. The laboratory housed actresses posing as mannequin replications of prominent black women such as Ida B. Wells and Cathay Williams.

Each actress came to life and spoke about the accomplishments of the famous leaders who they were portraying.

“What better place to learn than in a laboratory?” Garrison Commander Col. John Strycula asked the audience as he presented the N & R cast with an award for their performance.

He said the skit was a great production and he applauded everyone who helped make the observance possible. “I learned a lot today.”