Anthony "Swazi" Atkinson - USMC/Air Force 1977-85

Anthony Atkinson got the nickname "Swazi" in Junior High School music class. The class was learning an old slave song The Swazi Warrior and even though he disliked the name at first his basketball coach said, "Why don't you find out what Swazi means?" So Anthony did and found out that it means Black King/Black Warrior in Swahili. Anthony learned a valuable lesson that day "Face the bullies, if you let the bullies take over you, they're going to keep doing what they're doing." - Anthony "Swazi" Atkinson

After a successful basketball career at Georgia State Anthony decided to join the USMC, eventually becoming full time in the U.S. Air Force. He was trained as an aircraft mechanic in both the Marine Corps and Air Force eventually playing basketball for the Air Force teams in both Turkey and Greece and winning the USAF basketball championship.

"I like the Marines. To me, they were the best men that you could know because if you go to a bar fight, they're going to fight with you. Now, in the Air Force, they ain't going to fight with you at all. They're going to leave." - Anthony "Swazi" Atkinson

After leaving the Air Force Anthony had a had time finding work as an aircraft mechanic in the private sector because of racial bigotry. "My whole life was battles. I had to fight bullies, black bullies and white bullies, I had to fight them to get where I'm at today." - Anthony "Swazi" Atkinson