Columbus High School senior Aundwellion Durrah sat tall in his chair listening intently to his Air Force Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps instructor retired Maj. Allen Williams speak to a room full of airmen, community leaders and his students about inspiring change and hope for the next generation.
Williams spoke to the more than 50 gathered Thursday at the Columbus Event Center at Columbus Air Force Base for a luncheon celebrating Black History Month. He said students deserve to be educated and inspired to achieve the highest goal imaginable, and for Durrah, he feels this is echoed in how Williams is as an instructor.
“It’s nice, and I feel honored and excited to be here,” Durrah said. “I want to be a cargo plane pilot in the Air Force. … Being in JROTC instills a sense of pride in what you do and how you carry yourself, especially with Maj. Williams because he cares about the program and us.”
Durrah was one of the five students on the JROTC Honor Guard who presented the U.S. flag, Mississippi flag and Air Force flag at the base’s luncheon.
The theme of the event was “Inspiring Change,” and the program featured a picture of the “Greensboro Four” — a group of Black men participating in the Greensboro, North Carolina, sit-ins in the summer of 1960.
Williams pointed out that one of the men from the picture of the Greensboro Four, Joseph McNeil, is a retired major general in the U.S. Air Force.
Maj. Gerri Young, a primary coordinator of the base’s celebrations, said it was vital to have Williams and his students on base to strengthen the relationship between the base and Columbus.
“What he does for the kids, it sits into our theme of ‘inspiring change,’” Young told The Dispatch. “He has a passion for children and mentors the students. … It was great having the kids on base because I think inspiring change is really about having that partnership with the base and community. … I think maybe two or three out of five (of the students present) are thinking of joining the Air Force, so having this exposure is good. Seeing their instructor speak on change — that’s a huge influence on the kids.”
In staying on theme, Williams said he wants to inspire change in his students and let them know history is still being made in modern times.
“As a non-traditionally-trained educator, I’m a firm believer that our students deserve and, for the most part, desire to be challenged more than less,” Williams said. “This Air Force of ours does not maintain the global superiority that we enjoy by playing down to our competition. In my opinion, our students deserve to be challenged and educated not based on the lowest common denominator, but the highest level of expectations. … It is indeed a national imperative that we go about the business of educating and inspiring our youth to achieve the most lofty of goals that they may set for themselves.”
Though he has only been the instructor of the JROTC program at CHS since the beginning of this school year, Williams has made an impact on his students.
Some of Williams’ students told The Dispatch they have had opportunities given to them they would have never dreamed of in the short time under his command.
“He’s given me so many opportunities, and I never would’ve thought of being here (at CAFB) today because I’m so shy,” CHS senior Kenyana Bell said. “… His speech meant a lot because he talked about something that all of us in JROTC all agree on — that they try to teach us so much, but they don’t teach us what we want to hear, which would help us grow into whatever we want to be in the world.”
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
