[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 23 (Tuesday, February 23, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H657]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            BUFFALO SOLDIERS

  (Ms. SPEIER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, in Bob Marley's iconic anthem he describes 
the plight of the Buffalo Soldiers as ``fighting on arrival, fighting 
for survival.'' No troops in American history have given more and 
received less in return than the African American regiments known as 
the Buffalo Soldiers.
  They also played a pivotal role in the creation of our national 
parks. Each spring, these sons of slaves hiked hundreds of miles from 
San Francisco and Monterey to Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon, 
serving, in effect, as our country's first park rangers.
  Regrettably, I have lived my entire life within walking distance of 
the Buffalo Soldiers Trail and until recently never knew this part of 
our history. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4491, which directs 
the National Park Service to study and promote the Buffalo Soldiers.

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