My name is Ken Messier I grew up in the middle of Connecticut in the 60’s in a widely culturally diverse city. My grandfather on my mother's side was Italian and a good majority of our neighborhood was also Italian. Most ethnic groups kept to themselves as I learned very young, but we all got along together and enjoyed each other’s food. When I was about twelve years old, I can remember inviting a friend from school over and since we walked to and from school it was not an issue back then. So, I asked Vernon Brown to come over and play, so we did as we played my grandmother who lived upstairs, and we lived in the middle part of the home yelled out for me to come upstairs so I told Vernon I would be right back. My grandmother asked who the stranger was I said his name was Vernon from school, and she said we do not have strangers over he would have to go home I respected what she said even though I did not understand and felt very uncomfortable I did what she said. Back then kids were resilient and tough, and it did not bother either of us, so I walked Vernon through the woods a shortcut to his home, even though I just did not agree with it. As I got older, I went to high school, and I could see how race and ethnicity had many issues with getting along together and did not understand or agree with it at all. At the end of High school, I had to decide if I wanted to go to culinary art school, I would need to have the money to do so, so I joined the US Navy. Boot Camp 1981 Wow finally, a wake-up call for the men in Company C200 we are all equally useless until we can show that we are ready to serve in the US Navy and that no matter who we are, what color, race, or religion it did not matter, we had to learn that we are here to follow orders and to finish the job given to us. Once deployed it all came together (we) that is the military the one percenters of America came together and did what we were tasked to do regardless of what we felt, we had each other’s (back) and called each other’s (six). We always had each other’s six no matter what it was built into our DNA a sense we are all in this together and the only way out is together. After 20 years of service, I look back and now forward and I see that the real world does not have each other’s six and very seldom seen or practiced. I believe that traveling the world and seeing the good the bad and the ugly and having your brothers from different mothers and having your six made life tolerable and manageable and gave most of us a good sense of what it means to be a good human, we always hoped for the best, looked for the good and made the best of most situations. Life has its extremes, there will always be good and evil the key to being a good human is to always look for the good help others, and have their back / six. What will make a difference as a good human is to always try to look for the positives in the most trying and difficult situations, evil will always try to take you away from that focus, so remain strong and have each other’s back/six it will change your life as a Human.