conversations] >> host: joining us now on booktv is former health and human services secretary louis sullivan. dr. louis sullivan. dr. sullivan when did you decide you are going to become a medical doctor back? >> guest: i was age five and my father who was a funeral director in the small town in southwest georgia and among other things he provided ambulance services for people and needed to be transported to the doctor. my father was often asked me to go with them to help and of course at age five i was curious curious. there was one black doctor in southwest georgia and bainbridge near lincoln where we lived. so i from age five wanted to be like dr. griffin. he's very successful highly respected in the community. people really thought that he was a great citizen but to me he was a magician. he could make people well. i decided that was what i wanted to do. so that is what i decided to do. i love science and will working with people so being a doctor combines both of us very well. >> host: southwest georgia and eric you were growing up what were some of the race considerations? >> guest: they we

applause] >> host: joining us now on booktv is former health and human services secretary louis sullivan, dr

dr. louis sullivan breaking ground as the name of his autobiography, my life in medicine. the forward is by and andrew young. you are watching booktv on c-span. while serving in iraq from 2003 to 2009 u.s. navy s.e.a.l. sniper chris kyle accumulated more officially confirmed kills than any other sniper in u.s. military history. in his best-selling autobiography, "american sniper" now a major motion picture, mr. kyle described his early career as a professional rodeo rider. the challenges he had to overcome become a s.e.a.l. and experiences in iraq. chris kyle died on february 2 2013 at the age of 38. this program is from 2012. it's about an hour. >> host: chris kyle why did you decide to join the navy? >> guest: actually i grew up thinking the marines were the biggest baddest guys on the block in my eyes wanted to be one so i went to enlist and try to become a marine and a marine recruiter was out to lunch and then in the strip mall all of a sudden there you've got the army recruiter in the navy recruiter coming out to be snipers themselves and pick you up and get you to c

sullivan. >> the ad 'twas a full page ad in "the new york times" and it was aimed at trying to rally support for the civil rights movement and particularly dr. martin luther king the ad said that law enforcement officials in montgomery alabama, interestingly it didn't name any officials, just said law enforcement officials -- had harassed dr. king had padlocked the dining hall at the local college, had expelled students talked about student protests singing "my country 'tis of thee" and ran through six paragraphs of describing civil rights era activities in the montgomery alabama, area. lb sullivan was the sheriff of montgomery, alabama, and basically said that the ad damaged his reputation and libeled him. the falsehoods were relatively minor, the dining room wasn't padlocked but some students were not allowed to eat in the dining room. the police didn't ring the campus with a police line, there was just a strong police presence at the campus. the students didn't sing "my country 'tis of thee," they sang" the star spangled banner." things like that who in a common-sense way you could say couldn't damage his reputation but there are things

applause] >> host: joining us now on booktv is former health and human services secretary louis sullivan, dr. louis sullivan. dr. sullen when did you decide you are going to become a medical doctor? >> by the age of five. my father who was a funeral director in southwest georgia and among other things services for people who needed to be transported to doctors. my father would often ask me to go with him to help because at age five i was curious. there was one black doctor in southwest georgia 40 miles south of brinkley where he lived so high, from age five was determined i want to be like dr. griffin. an african-american physician. he was very successful and highly respected in the community. people really thought he was a great citizen but to me he was a magician. he could make people well. i decided that was what i wanted to do so that's what i decided at age five. i love science and i love working with people so being a doctor combines both of those very well. >> host: southwest georgia in the air you were growing up what were some of the race considerations that you had to face? >> gues