This is not a movie. That was the very first thought that
came to mind when I saw the military tanks at the corner of Whittaker Parkway Russell Street
It has been forty-five years since this happened, but it
seems like yesterday. The pain of what happened that day hasn’t gone away and
it probably never will. It was the first time death touched anywhere close to
me. The walking path that he took is the same path we walked daily. At eleven
years old I was too young to know what to feel at that time. Now I am too old
to be mad at it. It is true that what does not kill you makes you stronger. It
forces you to grow.
The only way to recover from mental-pain is to realize that
there is nothing anyone can do to change a wrong and make it go back to the way
it was before. I also learned that holding on to hate (no matter how it is
formed in the mind) causes a sickness that leads to death. Each moment you
harbor hate takes time away that can never be replaced. If hatred is held in
too long it multiplies to a point where it spills out into action.
My
friend, neighbor and sports role-model is in a place now of eternal joy.
February eighth is a day of honor for him, Delano Herman (Bump) Middleton. Two others Samuel Hammond Jr. and Henry
Ezekial Smith along with many others who were injured will also be honored on
the campus of South Carolina State College. After attending two of honor
services I have had to stay away and pray for the dark hate filled thoughts to
pass. We all deal with hurt differently. The full story may never be told but I
have released the hatred I had held in for so long towards those hidden and undiscovered
foes. The last few years there is no darkness. I only pray now for a positive
outcome for all. I do plan someday to return to the service for what is called
the Orangebug Massacre…just not this year.
As the old ladies in church often say,
“Let go and Let God…”
And, for comfort I will hold on to the
word of God.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and
do not lean on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5
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