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Juneteenth Flag Raising Ceremony at the Pentagon with Defense Secretary Mattis

by Khubaka, Michael Harris
Monday, June 19, 2017, Defense Secretary Mattis will honor the sacrifice by US Colored Army, Navy and Marines at the US Pentagon placing our National Juneteenth Holiday Celebration to an elevated prominence far beyond the current notion of “Gone With the Wind” and lack of appreciation.
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Sacramento, CA ~ The decision to use US Colored Troops in the Union war effort was not endorsed by President Abraham Lincoln until January 1, 1863, as an added part of the Emancipation Proclamation.

The US War Department issued General Order Number 143 on May 22, 1863, establishing the Bureau of Colored Troops to facilitate the recruitment of African-American soldiers to fight for the Union Army.

On the morning of April 9, 1865, during the battle surrounding Appomattox Court House, one of the last major battles of the American Civil War, US Colored Troops were part of the final engagement of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. General Robert E. Lee surrendered to the Union Army General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, beginning the end of the US Civil War.

On June 19, 1865, at Galveston Island, Texas, General Granger announced his General Order Number 3 and began a 7 week military campaign, with the support of US Colored Troops, throughout Texas to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation and seal the border with Mexico at the close of the US Civil War.

Jim Mattis became the 26th US Defense Secretary on Jan. 20, 2017. During more than four decades in uniform, he commanded Marines at all levels, including in combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Following his retirement from the U.S. Marine Corps in 2013, Secretary Mattis served as the Davies Family Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, specializing in the study of leadership, national security, strategy, innovation and the effective use of military force.

Monday, June 19, 2017, Defense Secretary Mattis will honor the sacrifice by US Colored Army, Navy and Marines at the US Pentagon placing our National Juneteenth Holiday Celebration to an elevated prominence far beyond the current notion of “Gone With the Wind” and lack of appreciation.
Juneteenth Flag     Juneteenth Flag


Your article, "Juneteenth Flag Raising Ceremony at the Pentagon with Defense Secretary Mattis" has several inaccuracies and things that need clarification.

First of all, our “Juneteenth Flag Ceremony”at the Pentagon is part of the 17th Annual 2017 WASHINGTON JUNETEENTH National Holiday Observance, hosted by the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF), Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D., Founder & Chairman.

The Juneteenth Flag will not be raised during the program. However, Secretary of Defense Mattis will be presented a Juneteenth Flag and a Juneteenth Book in recognition of the observance of Juneteenth at military bases around the world.

Also, the ceremony will honor the 20,000 colored sailors in the U.S. Navy who fought for their own freedom during the Civil War. The sacrifice and contributions of African Americans who served in the U.S. Navy will be the focus of the activities.

Traditionally, Juneteenth Flag Raising Ceremonies across the nation honor all of our black veterans, especially the 186,000 colored troops and the 20,000 colored sailors. The raising of the Juneteenth Flag has been part of the WASHINGTON JUNETEENTH National Holiday Observance, including ceremonies at Howard University, for several years.

Most importantly, the photographs you use for your article should be one of the historic portrayals of Civil War colored sailors and the “American Flags of Freedom” that are flown together during Juneteenth Flag Raising Ceremonies.

In the future, we would appreciate checking your information about programs hosted by the NJOF with us before you publish any articles.

Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D.
Founder & Chairman
National Juneteenth Holiday Campaign
National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF)
National Juneteenth Christian Leadership Council (NJCLC)
National Association of Juneteenth Jazz Presenters (NAJJP)
www.NationalJuneteenth.com
www.JuneteenthFlag.com
662-392-2016
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Happy Memorial Day Weekend ~ Honoring All Who Have Paid the Ultimate Price For Our Freedom

Clearly, I misunderstood the language on Saturday's conference call and my attempts a clarification missed the mark... hopefully, an official press release from NJOF is being prepared.

If an official press release from the Office of US Secretary of Defense becomes available, please place here in this thread so the correct and official information is seen, in context of actual events to occur on Monday, June 19, 2017 in the Washington DC Metro Area.

Throughout California, we continue our unique Juneteenth legacy and speak regularly with NJOF Vice President John Thompson.

Seeking primary source documentation, expanding historical preservation and building community economic development is our direction and purpose with our longstanding Juneteenth effort.

Memorial Day Weekend we share legacy of Rev. Jeremiah Burke Sanderson, roommate of Fredrick Douglass and Father of Black Education in California.

Recall well the words of Fredrick Douglass,

"For once let the black man get upon his person the brass letters 'U.S.' Let him get an eagle on his button, a musket on his shoulder, bullets in his pocket. Make him a soldier of the nation. Let him serve. Let him sacrifice. Let him shed his blood with his white brother. Do all that, and then there is no power on Earth which can deny that he has earned the right to citizenship in the United States of America."

Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D., you continue to serve the nation in an amazing capacity, standing on the shoulders of a long line of "freedom fighters" since the first captive African was kidnapped, beaten and dehumanized into chattel. Your leadership continues to represent a people, many whom suffer from "Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome" and need assistance. May your capable Physician's hands continue to heal a people in a good way...

The horrors seen and pain felt from the known and unknown ancestors during the ongoing MAAFA guide a better way forward, toward a freedom's dawn marked at Juneteenth... clearly we have work to do...

https://www.defense.gov/Leaders/Secretary-of-Defense/

National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF)
Weekly Juneteenth Conference Call

Saturdays, 12:00 noon, CST
Central Standard Time

712-775-7031
access code - 716-698-222#
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