[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 74 (Friday, May 25, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5712-S5713]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 97--HONORING THE BUFFALO SOLDIERS AND COLONEL CHARLES 
                                 YOUNG

  Mr. DeWINE submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on the Judiciary:

                               S. Res. 97

       Whereas the 9th and 10th Horse Cavalry Units, (in this 
     resolution referred to 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 Buffalo Soldiers maintained the trails and 
     protected the settler communities during the period of 
     westward expansion;
       Whereas the Buffalo Soldiers 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 Buffalo 
     Soldiers to serve on harsh terrain and protect the Mexican 
     Border;
       Whereas the Buffalo Soldiers went to North Africa, Iran, 
     and Italy during World War II and served in many positions, 
     including as paratroopers and combat engineers;
       Whereas in the face of fear of 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 that were crucial to San Diego's war industries;
       Whereas among these American heroes, Colonel Charles Young, 
     of Ripley, Ohio, stands out as a shining example of the 
     dedication, service, and commitment of the Buffalo Soldiers;
       Whereas Colonel Charles Young, the third African-American 
     to graduate from the

[[Page S5713]]

     United States Military Academy at West Point, served his 
     distinguished career as a member of the Buffalo Soldiers 
     throughout the world, traveling to the Philippines during the 
     Spanish-American War, Haiti as the first African-American 
     military attache for the United States, Liberia and Mexico as 
     a military attache, Monrovia as advisor to the Liberian 
     government, and several other stations within the borders of 
     the United States, holding commands during most of these 
     tours;
       Whereas Colonel Charles Young took a vested interest in the 
     development of African-American youth by serving as an 
     educator, teaching in local high schools and at Wilberforce 
     University in Ohio, and developing a military training ground 
     for African-American enlisted men to help them achieve 
     officer status for World War I at Fort Huachucha;
       Whereas Colonel Charles Young achieved so much in the face 
     of race-based adversity and while he fought a fatal disease, 
     Bright's Disease, which eventually took his life; and
       Whereas there are currently 21 existing chapters of the 9th 
     and 10th Cavalry Association, with 20 domestic chapters and 1 
     in Germany: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) honors the bravery and dedication of the Buffalo 
     Soldiers throughout United States and world history;
       (2) honors 1 of the Buffalo Soldiers' most distinguished 
     heroes, Colonel Charles Young, for his lifetime achievements; 
     and
       (3) recognizes the continuing legacy of the Buffalo 
     Soldiers throughout the world.

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