[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 20 (Tuesday, February 29, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S954-S955]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


  SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 86--REQUESTING THAT THE UNITED STATES 
POSTAL SERVICE ISSUE A COMMEMORATIVE POSTAGE STAMP HONORING THE 9TH AND 
  10TH HORSE CAVALRY UNITS, COLLECTIVELY KNOWN AS THE BUFFALO SOLDIERS

  Mr. DeWINE submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Governmental Affairs

                            S. Con. Res. 86

       Whereas the 9th and 10th Horse Cavalry Units, collectively 
     known as the Buffalo Soldiers, have made key contributions to 
     the history of the United States by fighting to defend and 
     protect our Nation;
       Whereas the 9th and 10th Horse Cavalry Units maintained the 
     trails and protected the settler communities during the 
     period of westward expansion;
       Whereas the 9th and 10th Horse Cavalry Units, who came to 
     be known as the Buffalo Soldiers while in combat with the 
     Native Americans, secured land for the Union from the Native 
     Americans;
       Whereas the 9th and 10th Horse Cavalry Units were among 
     Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders in Cuba during the Spanish-
     American War, and crossed into Mexico in 1916 under General 
     John J. Pershing;
       Whereas African-American men were drafted into the 9th and 
     10th Horse Cavalry Units to serve on harsh terrain and 
     protect the Mexican Border;
       Whereas these African-American units went to North Africa, 
     Iran, and Italy during World War II and worked in many 
     positions including paratroopers and combat engineers;
       Whereas in the face of fear of a Japanese invasion, the 
     soldiers in the 9th and 10th Cavalry units were placed along 
     the rugged border terrain of the Baja Peninsula and protected 
     dams, power stations, and rail lines that were crucial to San 
     Diego's war industries; and
       Whereas the 21 currently existing chapters of the 9th and 
     10th Cavalry Association, with 20 domestic chapters and 1 in 
     Germany, have built a Buffalo Soldiers Memorial in Junction 
     City, Kansas: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That Congress requests that the United States 
     Postal Service issue a commemorative postage stamp in honor 
     of the 9th and 10th Horse Cavalry Units, collectively known 
     as the Buffalo Solders.

 Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, as my colleagues know, February is 
designated as ``Black History Month.'' As part of the celebration of 
African American achievements and contributions to our country, I would 
like to draw your attention to the heroic and courageous acts of the 
African Americans who served in the Ninth and Tenth Horse Cavalry Units 
of the United States Army.
  These units were established at the end of the Civil War and composed 
of former slaves. Their first charge was to maintain trails and protect 
settlers from Native Americans during the period of westward expansion. 
The units were called to combative service during the wars against the 
Native Americans, where they were also given the name of ``Buffalo 
Soldiers.''
  During the Spanish American War, the Buffalo Soldiers were among 
Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders. In 1916, they crossed into Mexico 
under the direction of General John J. Pershing. At a time when the 
majority of the troops fighting in Mexico were from the South, these 
soldiers faced many internal obstacles and discriminatory actions, even 
while defending our country.
  The Buffalo Solders were last called into service during World War 
II. The soldiers went to North Africa, Iran, and Italy and held various 
positions as combat engineers and paratroopers, among others. When the 
Army feared a Japanese invasion, the Buffalo Soldiers were placed along 
the rugged border terrain of the Baja Peninsula and protected dams, 
power stations, and rail lines to ensure the safety of crucial war 
industries in San Diego.
  Currently, there are twenty-one existing chapters of the 9th and 10th 
Horse Cavalry associations, one in Germany and twenty in the United 
States.
  Mr. President, I am submitting a resolution today to honor these 
brave men through the creation of a commemorative postage stamp. This 
stamp is a way to pay tribute to the Buffalo Soldiers' great acts of 
courage and dedication to our country. It is my hope that this stamp 
can serve as a reminder of their valor and to help teach future 
generations about their contributions to our nation. I urge my 
colleagues to support this measure.
  An informative article about the Buffalo Soldiers in my home state of 
Ohio was recently featured in the Cincinnati Enquirer. I ask unanimous 
consent that the text of this article be reprinted in the Record.
  The article follows:

              [From the Cincinnati Enquirer, Feb. 9, 2000]

Last of a Storied Cavalry Fights for Recognition--All-Black Unit Served 
                      in WW II After Long History

                           (By Mark Curnutte)

       In 1943, Lorenzo Denson was one of about two dozen men from 
     Cincinnati drafted to serve in an all-black cavalry unit on 
     the Mexican border.
       ``The only horse I'd ever seen was the milkman's horse on 
     Seventh Street,'' he said. Shortages of men in segregated 
     black infantry units took Mr. Denson and other Cincinnatians 
     overseas--without their horses--to North Africa, Iran and 
     Italy. They worked as everything from paratroopers to combat 
     engineers. Mr. Denson was a firefighter at an airfield.
       ``We did our job,'' he said. ``We did what we were told.''
       These Tristate men also found their way into history as the 
     last of the Buffalo Soldiers, members of the renowned all-
     black cavalry units formed during the Indian wars. The U.S. 
     Army disbanded all horseback cavalry units in 1944.
       This month--Black History Month--finds Cincinnati's Buffalo 
     Soldiers on a final ride. Like the Tuskegee Airmen and other 
     groups of black veterans before them, the Buffalo Soldiers 
     are trying to win recognition for contributions that they say 
     have been overlooked for more than 50 years.
       Mr. Denson, now 79, retired and living in Columbia 
     Township, will be among a group of nine living World War II-
     era Buffalo Soldiers scheduled to make its first Tristate 
     appearance Thursday at the public library in Corryville.
       ``We helped to win World War II,'' said Linwood Greene Jr., 
     79, of Silverton, another Buffalo Soldier.
       At least 14 of Cincinnati's World War II Buffalo Soldiers 
     are dead--none was killed in action--and chances are this 
     piece of Tristate history would have faded away if not for 
     George Hicks III. A retired Army veteran who's a fan of the 
     all-black cavalry units; Mr. Hicks moved from Washington, 
     D.C., to the Tristate a couple of years ago and immediately 
     organized the Cincinnati-based Heartland Chapter of the Ninth 
     and Tenth Horse Cavalry Association.
       ``These men are American heroes,'' said Mr. Hicks, 50.
       There are 20 domestic chapters of the Ninth and Tenth 
     Association and one in Germany. About 650 black cavalry 
     veterans from World War II are still living.
       ``We owe a lot to George,'' said Mr. Denson, who appeared 
     at the Buffalo Soldiers booth at the Indiana Black Expo in 
     July in Indianapolis. Public reaction there added urgency to 
     the black troopers mission.
       People--black and white alike--didn't know who they were. 
     ``They thought we were actors,'' Mr. Denson said.
       The men sported black hats with crossed cavalry swords and 
     the No. 10 affixed to the front. With blue shirts they wore 
     the cavalry's standard yellow neckerchief.
       ``Once people found out who we were and what we did, they 
     wanted to have their pictures taken with us,'' Mr. Denson 
     said.
       William Snow, 77, of New Burlington will appear at the 
     library with Mr. Denson and at least three other men.
       ``Overseas, we did everything we were instructed to do,'' 
     said Mr. Snow, a Walnut Hills native and retired postal 
     worker. ``I was proud to be in the cavalry. I am proud to be 
     part of the history.''
       The black cavalry dates to post-Civil War North America. 
     It's first recruits in 1866 were former slaves who patrolled 
     the frontier from Texas to Montana. They guarded settlers and 
     protected wagon trains.
       Buffalo Soldiers earned respect and their nickname from the 
     Cheyenne, Arapahoe, Kiowa, Comanche and Apache Indians they 
     sometimes fought, a story captured in the song ``Buffalo 
     Soldier'' by the late reggae icon Bob Marley. Indians said 
     black soldiers' hair resembled buffalo fur.
       Four all-black regiments, stationed throughout the western 
     territories, were known as some of the fiercest fighters of 
     the Indian wars.
       They were among Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders in Cuba 
     during the Spanish-American War and crossed into Mexico in 
     1916 under Gen. John J. Pershing.
       During World War II, fearing a Japanese land invasion 
     through Mexico's Baja Peninsula, the government placed 
     cavalry units--first white, then black--along the rugged 
     border terrain. Armed units on horseback protected dams, 
     power stations and rail lines important to San Diego's war 
     industries.
       Black troopers from Cincinnati were sworn in at Fort Thomas 
     and sent to train at Camp Lockett near San Diego.
       ``We were trained in infantry and how to be infantry on 
     horseback,'' Mr. Denson said. ``When you were assigned a 
     horse, you were instructed to treat this animal like it was 
     your best friend.''
       African-Americans could not rise beyond the rank of 
     sergeant, so all commanding officers were white.
       ``They treated black troopers very well,'' Mr. Denson said.
       Patrolling the border is how Buffalo Soldiers figured they 
     would close out the war.
       But within a year of arriving in California, the cavalry 
     troopers were put on alert to go

[[Page S955]]

     overseas. They were put aboard a segregated train for a two-
     day ride to Newport News, Va.
       A stop in Houston showed the men that many of their white 
     countrymen wouldn't accept them, even though the troopers 
     would put their lives on the line for them.
       ``We were in cramped quarters on the train, and the colonel 
     got us out and had us marching up and down the platform to 
     stretch our legs,'' said Mr. Greene, the Madisonville native 
     who lives in Silverton.
       ``The mayor of Houston heard we were there, and he came out 
     and said, `Get them niggers back on the train.' And that's 
     exactly what he said.
       ``So the colonel has us go back to a train car and assemble 
     our .50-caliber machine guns. We went back out and marched 
     until it was time to switch trains.''
       Many historians consider Buffalo Soldiers unsung heroes, 
     troopers who did jobs a lot of white soldiers didn't want to.
       ``Blacks were second-class citizens in the military, and 
     blacks were second-class citizens in society,'' said Pat 
     O'Brien, a history professor and 20th century America expert 
     at Emporia State University in Emporia, Kan.
       Emporia is near Junction City, Kan., home of the Ninth and 
     Tenth Cavalry Association, which is raising money to build a 
     Buffalo Soldiers memorial there.
       ``In many ways, World War II--and the performance of the 
     black soldiers--provided the context for the civil rights 
     movement,'' Mr. O'Brien said. ``It readily exposed the 
     paradox--how could you fight against one thing overseas and 
     promote it at home.''
       Mr. Greene, who joined the combat engineers and worked as a 
     welder, landed at Normandy on D-Day. He was wounded six days 
     later when the Jeep in which he was riding ran over a mine.
       He took shrapnel in the head, hand and stomach. The next 14 
     days were a blur. He received the Purple Heart and an 
     honorable discharge at a Cleveland hospital on Aug. 4, 1945.
       Mr. Greene came home to Cincinnati and went to work as a 
     railway mail clerk. He experienced more racism at home than 
     he did abroad.
       ``I was in the same boxcars sorting the same mail, and they 
     wouldn't let me join the union,'' he said.
       Paul Greene, his son, was a U.S. Marine killed in Vietnam 
     in 1966. Paul Greene was 19.
       ``I'm proud of my son's service to his country,'' Linwood 
     Greene Jr. said slowly. ``I'm proud of my service to my 
     country.''
       Mr. Snow, who also received an honorable discharge, didn't 
     think he would live to see the United States again.
       ``I had as much fun as I could because I thought I would be 
     gone at any minute,'' he said. ``God was with me. That's how 
     I didn't get hurt.''
       Mr. Denson is most proud of his honorable discharge, dated 
     Nov. 6, 1945. He also received the American Theater Ribbon, 
     Good Conduct Medal and Victory Medal.
       ``The No. 1 thing is that honorable discharge. A lot of 
     things happen in the service, and they had a lot of ways of 
     busting you down,'' said Mr. Denson, who retired in 1981 from 
     Cincinnati Public Schools as a plant operator.
       Not far behind are his feelings for his unit.
       ``I liked the outfit. I liked the horses. I learned a 
     lot,'' he said. ``We didn't come in until the tail end, but 
     we did a good job.
       ``No, we weren't actors. We were the real thing.''

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