TRUE FEARLESSNESS: 7.11

As Memorial Day weekend comes to an end I cannot stop thinking about the dedication that my father provided for our country almost 33 years ago on July 11, 1976 on the USS New Orleans. My father, Sgt. Major Charles Frazier, Sr., is a Vietnam War Veteran and served 30 years in the U.S. Marine Corps during highly turbulent times. Throughout his tenure in the service he experienced many things. All the while he was one of those men who humbly did what his country asked and performed it with excellence.

One of the major challenges my father faced as an African American male was racial conflict. It was until a few years ago where my aunt informed me of the magnitude of my father’s impact while in the Corps. Since I can remember my father has always had dentures. Whenever I asked him he always evaded the topic so I just assumed that it occurred during the Vietnam War and that he simply didn’t want to discuss it.

My aunt informed me that while on his cruiser he attempted to stop a race riot between the African American soldiers and the Caucasian soldiers. As a result the African American soldiers thought that he was wrong for trying to stop the fight, and then proceeded to “jump” him in the mess hall.

In my father and another Caucasian soldier’s attempt to stop the race riot, my father’s jaw was broken by the only chair on the ship that happened to not be nailed down. Although my father was severely injured during the riot, he made a decision to not only stand for what was right, he stayed true to his commitment to his country for many years after the incident.

One of things that I always noticed about my father that he has always been a man of a few words; real down to earth, but had an uncanny sense of humor. I also remember being around 10 years old walking out of the PX with him and one of his soldiers stopping us. As they talked I tried to ignore them both as they discussed “adult stuff”, and I was just concerned about getting home to get outside and play. His soldier then turned to me and said, “You are very lucky to have a father like him.” In my 10 year-old mind, “I was like okay…I guess.” And then he made the statement that has always resonated with me, “Your father is a good man. You hear me? Your father is a good man.” For many years I wondered what he meant by that statement.

As a teenager and a young adult I struggled to agree with that statement for various reasons that were going on in my L.I.F.E: past hurts, my stubbornness, learning things the hard way, etc. But now, I KNOW exactly what his soldier meant by that statement. As you keep living, you continue to learn what makes up the fabric of a man. You learn what it truly means to live FEARLESSLY. I think about how my father made a courageous decision on 7.11 to stand for truth. He is not only a good man, but a great man! As a result, we honor a deserving RUN4LIFE youth each month during summer programming with the 7.11 Award to honor them (and my father) for their fearless efforts and leadership.

Thanks pops for being fearless! I’m proud to be your son ;)!

4 L.I.F.E.!