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Buffalo Soldier in the Heart of America
(February 2, 2011) |
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| PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (1/31/2011 - AFNS) --
Recently, my wife and I were walking through Manitou Springs
when we overheard Bob Marley's classic "Buffalo Soldier"
coming from the speakers in a nearby park. |
I reflected back to the first time I heard the song live
at a concert in Tacoma, Wash., where he and "The Wailers"
performed. As we got closer to the park, we could see that
many were familiar with the artist's lyrics and were singing
along.
A portion of the song goes like this: "He was
a Buffalo Soldier, dreadlock Rasta, he was a Buffalo Soldier
fighting for America, fighting a rival, fighting for
survival."
Bob Marley and his band sang a gritty
ballad that tells the cruelly ironic story of black
men being conscripted into the ranks of the Union
Army to kill Native Americans. Although as a young
teenager I enjoyed the song immensely, it took me |
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In order to settle problems in 19th century New Mexico, the U.S. Army called upon a group of recently freed black men to form the 9th and 10th Cavalries. They subsequently became known as "Buffalo Soldiers." (Courtesy photo/49th Fighter Wing History Office) |
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a long time before I realized that he was singing
about black soldiers and not Indian warriors. It
wasn't until I attended a course on minority studies
in 1988 that I realized African Americans played a
far greater role in American military history than I
ever imagined. |
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My curiosity piqued when the movie "Glory"
was released in 1989. You may recall it was about the 54th
Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, which was the
first official black regiment to be organized in the
Northern states with the U.S. Army during the Civil War.
Despite the significant contributions of the Buffalo
Soldiers, they were usually dismissed with a bare mention,
ignored completely, or their efforts mocked. Complicating
matters, there simply wasn't much personal information
available, such as letters, due to the fact that many troops
were illiterate. Only a few pictures, personal interviews
and a couple of congressional records proved helpful.
Nevertheless, here are a few tidbits that I learned:
The "Negro troops," as they were known at the time,
marched in the ranks of George Washington's armies in the
cause for independence and served with Andrew Jackson at New
Orleans in 1815 to repress the British invaders. The first
large-scale employment awaited the coming of the Civil War
when the Confederate batteries fired on Fort Sumter, early
in the morning of Apr. 1, 1861. Many black troops were eager
to wear the Union blue, but found their service was neither
wanted at the time nor contemplated for the future.
With the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1,
1863, the enlistment of blacks was on its way up. Again,
this was not a popular decision.
In fact, one
historian wrote, "This decision to use the Negro soldier did
not necessarily grow out of any broad humanitarian resolve.
It seems to have come more largely out of the dawning
realization that since the Confederates were going to kill a
great many more Union soldiers before the war was over, a
good many white men would escape death if a considerable
percentage of those soldiers were colored."
Resistance to black troops eventually diminished. Once white
officers discovered that a commission in the black regiments
could lead to faster promotion, there was no shortage of
candidates to lead these new regiments. Furthermore, as
black soldiers proved their worth as soldiers, reluctant
acceptance started to become the rule. Not to be misleading,
however, race discrimination continued to be very prevalent.
By the end of the war, nearly 180,000 black soldiers
served in the Union Army and 33,380 of them had given their
lives for freedom.
On July 28, 1866, Congress passed
an act that allowed the black soldiers to serve in the
regular army, and in 1867, Congress sent them out to fight
"the Indians." It was at this time the Native Americans gave
the troopers a nickname.
Called all manner of names,
such as "moacs" and "brunettes," by all manner of people,
they were dubbed "Buffalo Soldiers," as a result of their
skin color and hair texture, which seemed to resemble the
mane of the buffalo. Most simply accepted the name and wore
it proudly knowing the Native Americans worshipped the
buffalo and wouldn't give somebody that name if they did not
respect them.
Now, I find myself relocated to the Air
Force's best kept secret, Peterson Air Force Base. In the
short time I have been here, I have learned that nearly a
third of the cowboys who helped build the West were black.
In Colorado they were miners, soldiers, homesteaders,
ranchers, blacksmiths, schoolteachers, lawmen and every
other profession needed to build up the state.
I
learned if the ideals of democracy are to prevail, America
must continue to acknowledge, respect and appreciate the
contributions of all people. That said, let's no longer
ignore our history, but instead learn it, and provide it
accurately and completely. |
By Rex Jones
USAF 21st Space Wing Equal Opportunity Office
Copyright 2011 | |
Reprinted from
Air Force News
Service
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