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By Tom Boggs

In March of 1965, sixty years ago, a large contingent of National Guard units were federalized, and ordered to Selma, Alabama.  After two failed attempts to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, the rules had changed to allow, and to give federal aid to civil rights marchers, led by Dr. Martin Luther King, on a trek to the state capitol in Montgomery 54 miles away.  

As a young First Lieutenant, I was a little awe struck to witness approximately 8,000 demonstrators from not only all over America, but some other countries, as they gathered at the starting block located at Brown Chapel AME Church that early morning, and slowly began to make their nonviolent way toward the bridge, and the highway to Montgomery.

As I understood the grand plan, the majority of the marchers would walk a certain distance that first day, and then a majority would be loaded onto special buses gathered by Craig Air force Base outside of Selma to be transported back to the city for the night, with a certain number preparing to camp on the side of highway 80 that night, and then the marchers would alternate on the route each day,  with part of them camping each night. 

Based upon some regulation, the military buses were not allowed to transport the returning marchers inside the city limits; therefore, the government arranged for a number of railroad passenger cars from around several states.  The rather weary marchers then rode to the train station inside Selma, and that is where Lt. Boggs comes into the picture. 

I was given command of a reinforced platoon, and ordered to station troops on each side of the road leading from the station to Brown Chapel, and I was to see that there was an orderly return of the people to Brown Chapel.  Those were my orders. 

I met with FBI agents and federal marshals at the train station, who had checked the track for bobby traps, and when the engine pulled in with the human cargo, before I knew what was what, I had shouted out, “Okay, People, dismount the train, line up, and follow me.”

Well, bless Pete, that’s just what all those people from all over the place did.  They followed this young Lieutenant all the way to the church just as orderly as you please, and at the end a good number came up to shake my hand, and thank me, the unlikely leader of that particular march. 

Five days later, a large group of us troops were stationed behind the capitol just in case there might be disturbance out front where the demonstrators were being captivated by the speech of Dr. King.  I remember my jeep driver slipping around front, and when he came back, he told me he had never heard such a speech as that given by Dr. King.  

The rest is history.  That was the real beginning of long awaited changes in not only the southland, but in America.  

Attention!  Forward March. 

 

Tom Boggs is a columnist for the Demopolis Times and a native of Marengo County. His column, “Days Gone Bye,” appears weekly.