[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 80 (Wednesday, June 22, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[Congressional Record: June 22, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
COMMEMORATION OF THE LIFE AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF COL. CHARLES A. YOUNG
______
HON. DAVID L. HOBSON
of ohio
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, June 22, 1994
Mr. HOBSON. Mr. Speaker, today I submit for the Record a speech
delivered at Arlington National Cemetary on June 17, 1994 by Maj. Gen.
Alvin Bryant, commander of the 310th Theater Army Area Command, in
commemoration of the life of Col. Charles A. Young of Ohio.
I urge all members to read the text of this speech in order to better
understand the trials faced by the Buffalo soldiers who fought bravely
to defend our Nation and who's place in history must never be
forgotten.
In Commemoration of the Life and Accomplishments of Colonel Charles A.
Young
(By Major Gen. Alvin Bryant)
Thank you General Gorden, Congressman Hobson of Ohio, Major
North, Buffalo soldiers, friends and honored guests. Welcome
to Virginia.
It is my honor today to be here with you to pay tribute to
Colonel Charles Young, a man whose nickname ``Follow Me''
epitomizes leadership, a man whose life exemplifies the
Spirit of America.
He was a man who faced adversity with determination; who
faced death with courage; and who faced life with a burning
desire to serve his Nation and his people.
By now we all know the story well.
Born of former slaves in a rural Kentucky log cabin during
the heat of the Civil War, Charles Young was the third black
American to graduate from the United States Military Academy
at West Point.
Commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the all-black 10th
Cavalry Regiment, a Buffalo soldier, he became a professor of
military science, French and mathematics.
A veteran of numerous campaigns throughout the world, he
charged up San Juan Hill with Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough
Riders, and served with General John J. Pershing in the hunt
for Pancho Villa.
Retired by the Army to quiet racial disharmony in a mixed-
race unit, he was restored to active service after completing
his 500-mile sojourn from Ohio to Washington, D.C.
Sent to Liberia to reorganize that nation's Army, he was to
die in service to his country on an expedition to Nigeria.
Buried first on foreign soil, far from the Nation he loved,
he was brought home to assume his rightful place in our
Nation's history--to be given a hero's burial here at
Arlington National Cemetery where we lay to rest the sons and
daughters of America who have vigilantly served in the cause
of freedom and liberty. A fitting tribute to a man who
overcame many barriers, who accomplished so much, and who
gave freely of himself in service to our great Nation.
This is the chronology of events in the life of Colonel
Charles Young. And it would be only fitting for us to be here
today honoring any man--or woman--who has made such
extraordinary contributions to our Nation.
But Charles Young is not just ``any man.'' He is a metaphor
for American leadership.
So rather than simply looking at his accomplishments, I
want to spend the next few minutes examining the character of
the man we pay tribute to today.
What kind of man graduates with honors from high school and
receives the second highest score on a West Point candidate's
exam? A man of great intelligence.
What kind of man spends an extra year at West Point because
of a deficiency in mathematical skills, only later to become
a professor of mathematics? A man of uncommon determination.
What kind of man overcomes shunning from his fellow cadets,
using his gift for foreign languages to establish friendships
with West Point's immigrant janitors? A man of fortitude and
humanity.
What kind of man is appointed a professor of tactics,
military science, French and mathematics? A renaissance man.
What kind of man volunteers for active duty service during
the Spanish American War? A patriotic man.
What kind of man regularly faces personal and institutional
racism, yet maintains an abiding loyalty to the Nation and
the principles for which it stands? A man of principle,
pride, and conviction. A man grounded in the principles on
which this country was founded.
What kind of man spends two years tutoring a senior NCO in
geography, surveying and drill regulations to prepare him to
become an officer in the U.S. Army, and later to become the
Nation's first black general? A man who could see the worth
in another human, who was willing to work to bring it to its
fullest potential.
What kind of man serves as an officer in the Buffalo
soldiers and earns the nickname ``Follow Me'' during
dangerous anti-guerrilla operations in the Philippines? A man
who is a born leader.
What kind of man can write a biography of Haiti's
liberator, a handbook on Creole French as spoken in Haiti,
and prepare maps of both Haiti and the Dominican Republic? A
scholarly man who strived to learn about his world.
What kind of man can serve as a military attache to
Liberia, lead a 100-man expedition to save an American
officer from hostile native tribesmen, suffer a bullet wound
in the process, then negotiate the groundwork for improved
relations between the tribesmen and the government of
Liberia? A man of courage and diplomacy.
What kind of man could earn the respect of American
Military Icon, General Blackjack Pershing, who promoted him
to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel? A world-class soldier,
both technically and tactically proficient.
What kind of man would challenge a spurious medical
discharge from the Army with a 500-mile march from Ohio to
Washington, earning the respect and support of white and
black Americans alike? A man of tenacity.
And what kind of man would die an ocean away from home,
working to help the government of Liberia, a nation of former
American slaves? A man who, in his own words, ``was willing
to aid in any work for the good of the country in general and
our race in particular, whether the race be found in Africa
or the United States.''
Soldier, scholar, teacher, author, cartographer, diplomat,
Colonel Charles Young was a man of extraordinary talent.
A born leader, filled with courage, fortitude and
conviction. Patriotic, principled and proud. Intelligent and
scholarly. Determined and diplomatic. Caring and humane. A
tenacious, tactically and technically proficient soldier,
with an abiding love for his nation and his people. Colonel
Charles Young was a man of extraordinary character.
No tombstone can hold the weight of these accomplishments,
no tomb can hold his soaring spirit.
In a day in which we strive to find role models for our
children, Colonel Charles Young is an example that should be
trumpeted throughout the land. A man who embodies the
American ideals.
Sir Isaac Newton, the great English scientist, was often
complimented for his great scientific accomplishments and
discoveries. One day he responded to his admirers ``If I have
seen further than other men, it is because I have stood upon
the shoulders of giants.''
I stand here before you today--a black American--a
surgeon--a major general in the Army of the United States.
If I have gone further than other black officers who
preceded me in the USAR, it is because I too have stood upon
the shoulders of giants. Giants like Crispus Attucks who
stood with other colonists one cold morning in Boston,
challenging the British soldiers as foreign occupiers. Before
the day was over, shots rang out and Crispus Attucks lay
dead, the first to lay down his life in the struggle for
American independence.
Giants like Peter Salem, a black patriot who fought in our
Nation's War for Independence in historic battles such as
Lexington, Concord and at Bunker Hill where he slew the
commander of British forces.
And those whose names we do not know--slient, anonymous
giants--like the hundreds of brave black men of the 54th
Massachusetts Infantry who gave their lives on behalf on the
Union in the attack upon the Confederacy's Fort Wagner,
settling once and for all the question ``Would the black man
fight?''
And of course, giants like Colonel Charles Young, who
blazed a trail of freedom, democracy and opportunity for all
Americans.
Upon his retirement, another great soldier, General Douglas
MacArthur said, ``Old soldiers never die, they just fade
away.''
If this is true, then it is fitting that Colonel Charles
Young never became an old soldier, dying instead in service
to his country at the age of 56. For a man like Colonel
Charles Young was determined to never just ``fade away,'' and
today we do him justice by not letting him fade away into the
history book--just another American pioneer entombed in the
musty pages of some forgotten tomb. It is good that we bring
new life to his memory.
Thank you, Colonel Young. Yours is a legacy from which all
Americans can draw inspiration. Those of us who now hold the
batons of leadership in our hands must continue the struggle
for equality, justice and freedom and say, ``Follow me.''
At his funeral, Navy Secretary Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. said
of Colonel Young: ``No man ever more truly deserved the high
repute in which he was held, for by sheer force of character,
he overcame prejudice which would have discouraged a lesser
man.''
Truer words were never spoken.
``Follow me'' was his nickname. Follow him we have; follow
him we shall.
Thank you and God bless.
____________________