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119th CONGRESS
1st Session |
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that a commemorative postage stamp should be issued in honor of the Buffalo Soldiers.
Mrs. Beatty (for herself, Mr. Horsford, Mr. Fields, Ms. Kamlager-Dove, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Green of Texas, Mr. Bell, Mrs. McIver, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, and Mr. Veasey) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that a commemorative postage stamp should be issued in honor of the Buffalo Soldiers.
Whereas, on July 28, 1866, Congress established 6 all-Black regiments, later consolidated to 4, to help rebuild the country after the Civil War and to patrol the remote western frontier during the Indian wars;
Whereas Colonel Charles Young was a Buffalo Soldier and the highest ranking African-American commanding officer in the United States Army from 1894 until his death in 1922;
Whereas more than 200,000 African Americans served in World War I and more than 1,000,000 served in World War II;
Whereas the Buffalo Soldiers received their name because of the buffalo’s fierce bravery and fighting spirit;
Whereas African-American troops accepted the name, Buffalo Soldiers, with pride and honor;
Whereas the Buffalo Soldiers fought alongside White regiments in many conflicts and were instrumental in the exploration and settlement of western lands;
Whereas, over the 82 years of the Buffalo Soldiers’ existence, 23 men received the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest recognition awarded by the United States Government for military service;
Whereas the Buffalo Soldiers ceased to exist in 1948 when President Harry Truman signed Executive Order 9981 mandating equal treatment and opportunity for African-American servicemen;
Whereas the Buffalo Soldiers are a significant part of American military history;
Whereas a stamp was issued in honor of the Buffalo Soldiers on April 22, 1994, and this stamp was placed on “off sale” in December 1995; and
Whereas reissuing a postage stamp to honor the Buffalo Soldiers is fitting and proper: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that—
(1) a commemorative postage stamp should be issued in honor of the Buffalo Soldiers; and
(2) the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee should recommend to the Postmaster General that such a stamp be issued.