Lee Moultrie and Hazel Diaz

00:03 Hi, my name is Hazel Diaz. I'm 35 years old, today's date is Tuesday, April 13th, 2021. I am recording from Annville Pennsylvania with my new friend, Lee Moultrie. I am 64 years old. Today's date is Tuesday, April 13th, 2021.

00:36 I'm recording from North Charleston, South Carolina and my conversation today is with my new veteran. When Hazel from the United States Marine Corp. Thank you. Lie. That's quite an introduction. I'm going to hire you to do all of my public appearances. Now. Thank you lie. Why don't you tell me a little bit about where you were born and where you grew up.

01:07 And actuality I grew up in North Charleston. South Carolina, wears down. I'm in Dorchester County. But I grew up in Charleston County, which is only about five miles difference. Most people would say, God, you still here and you grew up here, 64 years, but, I've been back in South Carolina. Now about 21 years after I retired from the Air Force in 1994.

01:40 I went and lived in England for three years and I was a stay-at-home dad with my daughter at the time. That was my four years old. So she was in British school from 47 years old. And what in two days, I think two days. She'll be 31 years old.

02:00 Oh, wow, so you have three children and Jutsu your youngest, your 31 year old. What is your favorite thing about Leandria?

02:15 The address, she is a strong-willed young lady.

02:23 And can you tell me about your other two children? What are the names and ages and Kiara?

02:35 And they're what 45 years old.

02:41 And what are your favorite things about your other two children?

02:47 They are strong and independent also.

02:51 Tienda DNA for something coming from good stock then, huh? I siblings. Did you have? What was it? I keep tell me about maybe like your favorite Day from your childhood.

03:09 Growing up. It was three others. I have two brothers and they were, we were one year apart.

03:19 And then I have a sister who is 7 years younger than I am. And unfortunately, my two brothers have passed away, but my sister is still here, and she is younger, but she thinks. She is older than me.

03:36 How did your brother's pass?

03:40 They pass did it dealing and one was dealing to some degree with substance abuse with one of them.

03:53 And one had some injuries sustained when he was living in New York years ago.

04:04 And how old were you? When your brothers passed?

04:08 Missy, I'm 64. Now, my brother, my last brother probably was about 15 years ago, said, I would have put me about 49 years old.

04:19 And the other one would have probably been about. I probably was about 40 years old.

04:26 Okay, and which one was the brother closest to your age?

04:33 Anthony and how did Anthony pass is due to substance substance abuse related?

04:44 Can you tell me what it's been like in the later? Part of your adult life kind of being without your brothers and what your relationship was like with them? It is interesting to to not have my brother's with me to communicate with about different aspects of life.

05:09 Around. You would want to have your siblings with you to discuss things as societies moving now. So not having them. It is challenging at times, you wish them to be here.

05:26 Can you tell me about what your brothers were like?

05:32 Hey crazy, they were fine crazy. I mean, one was in the Navy and one was in. The Army. Tony was Tony the last one to pass away. He was he was fun. I mean these guys were fun guys. Very engaging, these weren't just run in the month. They wanted to challenge you mentally and have these intellectual conversations, you know being from the hood moving up to the projects. You know, that's my my number one line. I tell people I'm from the hood, but we moved up to the projects. We made that ladder remove and God has blessed us to see a lot of great things. What is that? What do you mean by that? When you say you're from the hood and you moved up to the projects?

06:25 Well, that's why I'm drunk. It's being back in the 60s tonight. I was born in 1956. So we were in a set aside Community. All Taran. It was mainly African-Americans and gets one shape community.

06:48 So as we were there, we would consider that and we move that we separated from my father and we moved to projects of downtown Charleston.

07:11 So, can you tell me how old you were when you made that transition, I guess in your words from the hood to a project and what that was like for you at whatever age, you happen to be that one that was 11 years old. I was 11 years old.

07:30 That was a decision. That was my first.

07:36 Monumental decision that my mother asked me about because we had dealt with my father, with a lot of abuse, mental abuse, physical abuse, because of his arm control.

07:57 Ability to deal with alcohol.

08:01 So my mother and I endured some physical and emotional abuse and then the younger ones, they really didn't see as much as we did. And so, at one particular point and 67. My mother says, do we want even though we still had my two brothers and my younger sister, my sister. She asked me. Do we want to continue doing this at 11 years? Old said, no, let's not do this. Let's leave. And so that's what I 11 years old we left and

08:43 So with that was a great decision and for us that I felt it was good for us to do.

08:55 You said that your mother consulted with you about this decision? Where you the oldest? Yes, okay. And did you feel that? Guess the weight of that responsibility and of that decision at 11 years old? That sounds like a lot of pressure.

09:13 Was a lot of pressure, was a lot of pressure at 11, but I saw.

09:23 The abuse going on. I felt that myself.

09:28 I endured that myself. So,

09:33 It was one that I felt was warranted and needed. Now. I'm happy for the decision. She making

09:42 It sounds like you guys made it together all. Yeah, we waited together. It was a mean. She asked me, and I don't know what I was doing. But thank God. We did.

09:55 And what was that transition like from you to go from a neighborhood that you kind of have always been into a new neighborhood and not having your father with you and kind of uprooting your siblings and helping them with that adjustment. I assumed since you were the oldest, you had a big part and helping them adjust to this new environment. So I'm wondering what that was like for you as an 11 year old child.

10:23 You know, that was even more so cuz you still went from one Community to another community in the projects. So now you still have a lot of people that have your same culture at the same time and you're able to be supportive of each other and and and and other parents are supportive of each other. We're right next door to each other and see each other. So those are the things there and we we went to schools and songs with the gather to all of us were able to move along. That's on track to be right there.

11:03 Okay, let's fast forward a little bit to your decision to join the military. Did you join the Air Force? Right out of high school?

11:12 National.

11:15 No, it's a couple of years afterwards.

11:19 And I want to get it was at my, I went to join the Air Force and they kicked me out first and then I got back in because that was 76.

11:35 When I went to join the airforce.

11:40 And they were, that was the the younger days of drugs, alcohol partying. And they asked me had I ever experimented with marijuana.

11:56 Now, I'm not sure miss it. Well, if you did to Joint you, okay, that's okay. I did two joints. And then when I enlisted and I got down to boot, camp to go into bootcamp. This is what we see that you tried to Two Joints it. So yeah, I was experimenting. They like, nope. The first joint you were the experiment. The second joint, you know what you're doing. So get get out of the military. So they kicked me out for 6 months to make sure I was clean. And then I came back into the air force, even also like all these guys coming up Vietnam. They're not bringing nobody else in

12:34 So I was excited cuz I had an uncle that was in the Air Force. I remember meeting a bus driver.

12:45 That, you know, the community, I mean the city bus. One of the bus driver says, hey man, why don't you consider joining the Air Force because he would send me going to work every day after high school. And so that's what ended up happening then. So that's how I got the motivation to join the Air Force Through the different people there. And you said, how long were you in the Air Force? And can you tell us a little bit about your time there?

13:19 I spent 18 years in the Air Force and beautiful years in the Air Force. My first assignment, I was scheduled to go to New Jersey and my first assignment but someone else. Another one of the guys in our group can we were logistic management. One of the other guys was madly in love with some woman in New Jersey. So he wanted to go back to New Jersey. Where is he was scheduled to go to England.

13:53 So he went to give that assignment up to go to instead of going to England. He wanted to go back to so I ended up going to England on my first assignment. And so that was a beautiful time from 1977 and 1979.

14:13 And as I was stationed there, I got an opportunity to go. Temporary assignment into turkey. We have to go close down the base in turkey and in those two years. I spent a lot of time in London, hanging out having fun being in England at that particular time.

14:36 And he told me what it was like, having your children and your wife in the military and how maybe that affected your family?

14:47 Well, the only one of my children that I actually had in the eye.

14:56 What?

15:05 And as a four-year-old, that was the only one at the time cuz the other children.

15:12 Okay, the four-year-old was the only one at the time that spent time with me because the other children stayed in the United States with their, with their mothers.

15:26 Okay, and so I see that you had joined the Air Force in 76. And can you tell us a little bit about how the Air Force had changed over your 18 years of service?

15:50 Well, the Air Force change because

15:56 We were more in logistics management. We we handled Logistics Management in transportation means that we dealt with every form of transportation water, truck, rail are hazardous. Material classified material. We did it all anything that moved in the world. We did it and that's what we do.

16:25 And so we make sure, we made sure on that now profession that we are able to go in different countries and assist people move things. Like I when I went to Turkey,

16:38 I was there, too.

16:41 Help them move a radar system, care that down and make sure we have the transportation to get those things out of there. And thus, and so the same thing happened when I was in Saudi Arabia for Desert Storm, 92. So the aspect of our profession almost stayed the same, but we just became a little bit more with the computers and song snowfall in social life and partying. We had to change that. So when I came in and 76, we were partying and having a lot of fun, but they have the contempt held at and change that type of lifestyle that we were the Wild Bunch from Vietnam and everything thing else.

17:35 How was it for you as a black man in the Air Force? And how do you feel after 18 years of service? Seeing today's current events and how I guess, how black men are rated in treated in a country that you spent, you know, nearly two decades of your life committing to and that Miss.

18:04 Adam that you've committed to to protecting and serving and seeing the way that they treat and serve people of color today.

18:22 Being an Air Force as a black man and are being a black man in America, is a great thing for me.

18:29 Because of the fact.

18:32 My objective is to hold.

18:35 The systems accountable for what they say they're supposed to do and do.

18:41 I see any place that I am at that. I'm valued and my input counts.

18:50 And is respected and appreciated because of the fact.

18:55 If I'm on the University level, cuz I worked as a consultant with the different universities, for the past fifteen, and twenty years, being back in South Carolina, two major universities here.

19:10 And when I walk in the room there, like, what there's Mister Moultrie? There. He is a veteran. They respect that. I don't run into environments. That individuals are going to disrespect me because I'm a black man.

19:27 So we going to have these conversations and tell her gently about anyting whatever is going on. And I think that's part of the discussion is individual not willing to have an intelligent.

19:42 Question about any thoughts and preconceived ideas. They may have about being a black man in America, are being a white man being an Asian being from one of the islands or anywhere in the world individuals are not prepared to some degree. They just want to go by what they've heard what they read about what they're seen on TV, but not ready to have those nice conversations.

20:09 Because what I do is I try to do, I tried to tear down walls that.

20:14 You're not going to feel that as an uncomfortable conversation. I want to know where you from. What, what is you would where you from where you living at? And then we have that, we did the Six Degrees of Separation with clothes that we feel comfortable with each other. So we can be talking about being in Dubai, we can talk about being in the Bahamas, Dominican Republic, or anywhere. There is in the world.

20:45 Because we are having an intelligent conversation.

20:50 And, you know, that you want to talk about current events, specifically about what is going on at the moment with race relations.

21:02 And the George Floyd trial that is currently underway and some of the work that you're doing around race and healing.

21:15 Racing healing. That's that's that's another project. I'm working on also because it's mostly that individuals don't again, they're not prepared to have uncomfortable conversation based on what they've been programmed to do programs. I mean, what they've been nurtured to do.

21:40 Because,

21:42 A lot of individuals don't realize.

21:46 That the first nine months of your life of everyone's like the first nine months, you're being programmed because you wouldn't do as you're within the womb, whatever your mother is experiencing, you're experiencing also, whatever the the mother is hearing experiencing seeing because the fetus actors, only one thing a hard drive of a computer.

22:18 So that now I'm months is being downloaded, whatever it is, is being downloaded, weather's, good, things are weather's, bad things. That's all it is. So from that nine months, then you go to the first seven years. What else are you being programmed to do? Is it good things, bad things, not so good, whatever it is. So, not as we move into social justice, then we want to help people understand that they may have been programmed to believe. One way about certain people are gender.

22:53 Then we have to show them that could be right, but maybe this maybe a little bit more information that you weren't familiar with.

23:11 Okay. Is there anything else that you want to talk about related to your social justice work? And we haven't covered.

23:22 I became a civil. I became a lead plaintiff on a case that went to the US Supreme Court.

23:34 In 2004, against the county that I grew up in which encompasses over 350,000 people, and, for, over 50 years.

23:46 Bexar County disenfranchised, the African American Community by, not having representation on the council. We should County Council so we have no representative representation there. So you don't have representation there then more than likely, you're not going to get the resources money to build your community up and that's what they did for over 50 years. So that was the case. In 2004 that I would leave plaintiff on the went to the US Supreme Court. And then in 2009. I was a plaintiff on another case that went to the US Supreme Court for voting.

24:28 And then you fast-forward when you looking at Social Justice, what happened to George Floyd?

24:36 We say okay. What is going on here? Now? We need to look at more policy change on how the police officers respond to certain situation.

24:49 And how do you make police accountable for what they do? And so we have to do is help understand that there's a certain law.

25:04 Makes it easier for police officers not to be charged. I mean, not to be prosecuted and that law is called qualified immunity.

25:15 So if you have qualified immunity act, just like, what's going on with the case. Now with your Troy, they going to try to run the clock out once around the clock out for the knowledge. You spell sport, then it's going to come back and doesn't agree based on that, law qualified immunity. So we have to change that and help the younger people. So, when the younger people say, we are Marching 50 years after our parents March. And when John Lewis marched,

25:50 Why are we still doing this? And that's what I'm doing now. And sharing with people, we have to address policies.

26:01 And and in the disparities that we have, one of one of the books that I'm working on getting people to understand. It's called the color of law.

26:14 By Richard, Rothstein the color of Law and it talks about a forgotten history on how are government segregated America.

26:27 So when you look at all of those laws from Social Justice and Justice, economic disparities, all of that, stem from that one bus that she shares with people what happened from the thirties and forties. And those laws have not been changed yet. So that's why we have to make. Sure the people understand that book, get that book break it down into your community and start getting your elected officials to understand that book and change policy to make it better for the newest generation.

27:11 Can you tell us about what specifically you have C changed? What changes you have seen in your time and in your advocacy work?

27:24 Can you repeat that question us about the changes that you've seen. Since you've started your advocacy work?

27:37 Engaging.

27:40 Willing to want to listen to learn.

27:43 Being at the table.

27:47 And receptive to change. Especially the younger generation. They're willing to listen and understand as me being 64.

28:01 Me sharing this information with them. I don't care where you at in the United States. I'm reaching out to you. I see something that's an injustice happening. I'm sharing insights with you and how to address this information been in New York. Beautiful. Adelphia be in California being in Chicago. I'm doing it. So they're receptive as long as we're giving them up-to-date information.

28:26 What happened in 1940 is good, but we have information that is hard-pressed 2021 2910 that we can use that information out to change the systems. And how do you be at the table? And, you know, the one thing I want the younger people to do even more is volunteering more to be at the table.

28:52 What do you mean by volunteer more?

28:57 Where the opportunity presents itself? I read your local newspaper. A lot of people that I see, don't read the local newspaper. The local newspaper has a lot of volunteer opportunities for organizations in the city and the county and the state. So you get an opportunity to put yourself at the table with different people that you traditionally would not.

29:27 I'm volunteering at a golf tournament. I get to meet the CEO. 3 of the hospital is one CEO of pre-hospital. We end up having lunch together and he's an African American, man. He is about 10 years younger than I am. And I said the one thing that we don't do well in the African-American Community is, we don't understand the power of volunteering.

29:56 And he said, what what do you mean? I said was Sir you the CEO of three hospitals. There is be nothing. There's no reason for me and you to connect anyway. Other than me, volunteering at this golf match with the hospital.

30:12 And if I had not done that, I would not have met you and share insights about me and social justice, and he said, you're right. So we have to get people to understand that.

30:26 When did you start volunteering Lee?

30:31 When did, when did I start?

30:34 When did you start volunteering? Yes, I started volunteering.

30:40 When I joined the military and I was doing thing. I was leaving protesting. And in England, when I was over there as a stay-at-home Dad, they have the mad cow disease there. I was doing blood drives. When I was at one of my assignments in England. I mean, in in, in Louisiana, I just find it.

31:06 A rewarding thing to give back to the community and the play, a part in the be at the table to take excuses away from other African-American, especially other African American men to be at the table that make sure my voice is heard and to get that information and bring it back to the African-American community and society. As a whole, that I serve on different committees and Boards of other ethnic groups. Also, so,

31:36 It's just to me, it's rewarding to be at the table and make sure the my voice as a black man as a man as a responsible citizen, as a veteran for me to be there.

31:49 And to encourage others to do the same thing, especially being a Christian also. So all of these different adjectives, I bring to the table and say we are there. People want to hear her voice.

32:03 Is there anything that you've learned from the young people that you've worked with?

32:10 I've learned, they got so much energy and so much RAM. I I love

32:20 The shrimp in the in the in the value that they bring to the table. I love that tenacity and nnn.

32:28 And I want to show them, I learned that they have that special the technology aspects of it. My God, they can do so much with that. They like, I'm sorry sir. We were born. I'm like, Okay, cool. So deep. These are great people. We just want to bring some knowledge of our years on how they can be even more impactful that we were.

32:58 Yeah, we have just a couple minutes left. There's anything else that you wanted to discuss or say?

33:09 Before the end of this interview, was it whether any topics that we didn't cover that you were hoping to discuss?

33:17 I think that you've discussed everything from being a veteran, social justice, and society as a whole and especially being a black man in America. I just did a discussion at the UN the Medical University of South Carolina about being a black man in America. Again. I find it's a greatest. Joy for me at 64, to be a black man in America. My God, and I said to the table,

33:46 What's some of the largest companies in the world? I'm sitting at the table, with Google bowling, Black by Comcast. The RiverDogs. All these companies in say that we can bring these resource at our community. And how do we rebuild our community the same way? Japan rebuilt itself?

34:10 The African American Community to do the same thing. If we humble ourselves and listen, and come together.

34:18 We can do this and the Next Generation coming up there have a greater life. And what we have to do is tap into another. One of my favorite book is Rise of the robots by Martin Ford and seeing what the next generation is going to this in the next 10 years. It's going to be even greater than the past 100 years. So we have to do this together and I'm thankful for you giving me the opportunity to share some insights here. I'm thankful that with my wife. She gets an opportunity to share some insights, what you also, and my children. And I thank God for them and grandchildren, that they'll be able to experience some of the thoughts that I had and how we can rebuild our nation.

35:07 Collaboratively blacks wise all other ethnic groups ever from all other country. We have to do this. We got to build back better as Biden says.

35:20 President Joe. Biden, vice president, Kamala Harris.

35:27 Is there anything? And he knows that, or?

35:32 Message that you want to leave your family.

35:37 I'd like to leave my family to know. I love them.

35:46 That.

35:50 The sacrifice.

35:52 That I have to make for them to make this a better world.

35:58 That's why.

36:00 I didn't get a chance to do it.

36:03 Spend as much time with them.

36:07 But know that.

36:09 My living and all that I do for our society. The God will bless them even more.

36:18 To see.

36:20 Some of the payment so I thank you.

36:26 And is there any verse or scripture? Or tidbit that you want to leave is part of your legacy on this recording? Oh my God. My, my favorite scripture is Romans 12:1 and 2.

36:47 It says be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.

36:55 Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. We have to continuously update. Our hard-driving are mine.

37:05 And one of my favorite quotes is,

37:09 Discovery consists of seeing what everyone is seeing, but thinking with no one is.

37:21 We have to do that. We must be about to change.

37:28 Was there anything else that you'd like to say before we sign off?

37:36 Thank you. Thank you. I thank God for blessing me to experience what I've experienced in the past 33 years. When I transformed my life and accepted Christ, 1988 and moved away from all of the alcohol in running the streets when I was in the military and he blessed me to transfer my life. So I'm thankful for that for who I am now. I am who I am still building to be even greater a servant of his. So I thank God for blessing me to transform my life.

38:15 And the only person that I haven't talked to you directly about is your wife. Is there anything that you'd like to say to your wife before we sign off my wife? My wife? Oh my God. She's such a beautiful woman. She's such a strong woman. She's retired Navy. Also, she's dual citizen. She's from the Bahamas and the United States.

38:42 But she's such a strong woman to be supportive of all that I do for our community and our society enough for him.

38:55 She is a gym. I thank God for.

38:59 Yes.

39:02 I think what is her name? Mabel Mabel Moultrie, Mabel Elliot Moultrie to put the Elliot name in the family name from the islands that got put in there.

39:17 Well, thank you so much for your timely and thank you for sharing your story with us today.

39:24 I I look forward to hearing what your family thinks of it and have a wonderful day. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.