Two of the four N.C A&T freshmen who began the historic 1960 sit-ins at a whites-only lunch counter in Greensboro were Air Force ROTC cadets.

In fact, one of them, Franklin McCain, wore his uniform to the protest, planned for the afternoon of Feb. 1

But not to make a point.

McCain simply hadn’t had the time to take off his dress blues before heading downtown to help breathe new life into the Civil Rights Movement.

“That had nothing to do with it,” McCain said decades later when asked about any intended fashion statement. “I had an ROTC class.”

The other cadet, Wilmington native Joseph McNeil, wore his civvies.

The fact that half of the Greensboro Four were members of A&T’s AFROTC detachment spoke volumes.

And the fact that McCain was easily the tallest of the four only added an excl

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