Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow: Meeting the Challenge of Our Multicultural America & Beyond The Africans (from pages 131-133)

Black army regiments fought gallantly in the Indian Wars, but most of their efforts in creating the United States of America were ignored. On the other hand, the Native Americans--respecting the black troops and hating to fight them--nicknamed the black military "Buffalo Soldiers. " "They fought like cornered Buffaloes," explained one member of the Buffalo Soldiers.

In April 1994, the United States Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp honoring the Buffalo Soldiers. Several speakers praised their achievements at the ceremonies held at Fort Huachuca, an Army base in Sierra Vista, Arizona, near Tombstone where the famed gunfight at the O.K. Corral occurred. The Buffalo Soldiers were stationed at Fort Huachuca and three other posts. At its entrance, the wood-burned letters on the polished sign read; "Last of old Army posts."

Elmore Leonard described places like this in some of his earlier novels. Surprisingly, Sierra Vista's population is much larger than the town looks--about 32,000, according to a listing in a 1994 atlas. On the day after the commemorative stamp ceremonies, the parade moved slowly down what appeared to be the main street, a wide road with buildings on either side. A tree here and there broke up the monotony of the predominantly yellow blanket of grasses on the flat thirsty land.

A military unit passed by the Sorry Gulch Saloon, but no one stopped to watch. Four black soldiers in dress uniform seemed to come out of nowhere to watch, just in time for the Buffalo Soldiers to pass by on horseback. As the riders drew close, each of the four men on the side of the road pulled his shoulders back, stood taller and prouder, and saluted with the kind of precision one gives with the deepest respect.

"Every African American soldier who has [served] or will serve the country is a Buffalo Soldier," said another speaker at the ceremony. "The Buffalo Soldiers demonstrated unflinching loyalty before having the right to vote or be citizens."

An almost completely white band played, perhaps a statement in itself. Too many years have passed without whites recognizing black achievements.

"The Buffalo Soldiers represented the heart of Black American history for more than fifty years from 1866," someone else said, adding that the white officers who commanded them volunteered for the post. "African Americans have enriched American life."

Buffalo Soldier Andrew Whitaker, 77 years old, spoke briefly about the Golden Rule, obeying orders, getting married, returning to work full time because he was "tired of being retired." He spoke with humor and love and, appropriately, received a standing ovation.

A black cowboy-poet recited a poem dedicated to the Buffalo Soldiers, and a military salute again honored their work.

But, says the local NAACP president, George Allen, "It's not enough to point out heroes and expect children to see their acts. We must emulate them."

At a Buffalo Soldiers convention in Las Cruces, New Mexico, three months later, still another speaker noted some of the little known highlights of black history and his opinion that Haitians "have a right to be in this country because they helped" the Union.

"The black army," he said, "broke down concentration camp gates--Buchenwald, Auschwitz..."

A white man in the audience stood and addressed the gathering. "In 1953 at Fort Hood, Texas, the 509th Tach Battalion became an integrated unit. It had been all-black. I signed the papers." But he never let on that President Harry Truman had issued the order to integrate the armed forces in 1948.

The black speaker highlighting those historical events faced the audience and summed up that which needs to happen in American schools: "If you know that I have a great history, you will respect me. If I know that I have a great history, I will respect myself. If you're waiting for somebody to drop this into your lap, you'll wait until the 21st century, and you still won't have it."

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