National Buffalo Soldiers Day by U.S. Army Tiana Waters Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command
July 29, 2021
Buffalo Soldiers Day is July 28, commemorating the formation of
the first Army regiments comprised of African American Soldiers,
former slaves, to serve during the Civil War. Over 180,000 African
American men made up six regiments and fought for the Union.
 Buffalo soldiers of the 25th Infantry, some
wearing buffalo robes at Ft. Keogh, Montana during the Civil
War. (Image provided by U.S. Army Tiana Waters, MSDDC)
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Despite the current conflict they faced, they served their
country with pride and distinction.
Thus in 1992, Congress passed a law designating July 28 as
Buffalo Soldiers Day.
“The Buffalo Soldiers adjusted the way
America and the U.S. military viewed race,” said Sgt. Maj. Quincy
Rice, Military Surface Deployment Distribution Command’s directorate
of operations sergeant major. “They proved to be courageous and
well-disciplined Soldiers, which was further represented by the
stellar example and phenomenal leadership of Colonel Charles Young.”
Young, only the third African American graduate of the United
States Military Academy, led the Buffalo Soldiers with distinction
in the Ninth and Tenth U.S. Cavalry and was the first African
American to achieve the rank of colonel in the U.S. Army.
The
regiments played a major role in developing the western part of the
nation. They traversed the frontier monitoring Native American
populations, building roads, and protecting settlers, all while
contending with challenging terrain, inadequate supplies and
discrimination.
“The pain and disrespect the Buffalo
Soldiers and all Soldiers of color faced years ago in the Army paved
the way for Soldiers today to blossom into leaders that were never
seen before,” said Rice. “It is amazing how morale and motivation
escalates when team members are treated equally and given the same
opportunities for progression. Collectively, it leads to a stronger
force of Soldiers and a better Army.”
During an Indian Wars
battle in 1867, Native American Cheyenne warriors gave these
Soldiers the nickname Buffalo Soldiers because of their features and
said they fought like fierce and brave buffalo. Since the tribe held
buffalo in high regard, the members proudly adapted the name Buffalo
Soldiers as a badge of honor.
The regiments would go on to
fight alongside Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders, serve four
tours in the Philippines and battle Pancho Villa during the Mexican
Punitive Expedition. Though the Buffalo Soldier regiments didn’t
participate with the American Expeditionary Forces when the United
States entered World War I, many combat experienced NCOs and troops
joined other segregated units.
“The hard work of the Buffalo
Soldiers laid down a stable foundation for minority Soldiers to
manage their aspirations of greatness with full confidence and
ingenuity to serve at the highest levels of the U.S. military,” said
Rice.
“The Buffalo Soldiers’ story is inspiring because the
Soldiers were in the precarious position of being largely uneducated
and untrained, however, they accomplished a variety of critical
tasks over the course of nearly 100 years,” said Gerome Banks,
secretary of SDDC’s Diversity and Inclusion Council. “Their
regiments had low desertion and court martial rates and many of the
Soldiers earned the Medal of Honor.”
In 1948, President
Harry Truman issued an executive order eliminating racial
segregation in the armed forces and the last African American units
were disbanded during the 1950s. By the end of integration, Buffalo
Soldiers had earned Medals of Honor, as well as numerous campaign
and unit citations. From their ranks emerged leaders including
Benjamin O. Davis, Sr., Charles Young, and Henry Flipper, the first
African American to graduate from West Point.
The Buffalo
Soldiers’ achievements in the face of adversity changed military
philosophy and laid a foundation for minorities to work toward their
own American dream.
In July 1992, then-Chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff Gen. Colin Powell dedicated the National Buffalo
Soldier Monument at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas to honor the
exceptional legacy of these great Soldiers.
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