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Recursion

(56,582 posts)
Fri Feb 15, 2019, 03:44 PM Feb 2019

Buffalo soldier, 98, doesn't want black regiments' history to 'fade out'



https://www.stripes.com/lifestyle/military-history/buffalo-soldier-98-doesn-t-want-black-regiments-history-to-fade-out-1.568843

When Clyde Robinson was drafted into the U.S. Army’s 9th Cavalry Regiment in 1942, he had never heard of the buffalo soldiers. He did not know that he would become part of the storied, complicated legacy of the all-black regiments of the U.S. military.

Robinson served in the Philippines in World War II. Now 98 and living in Skyway, he proudly proclaims that he is the “last remaining buffalo soldier in Seattle and Tacoma.”

The term “buffalo soldiers” refers to the men who served in the four all-black Army regiments founded after the Civil War. According to legend, the name was bestowed by Native people who thought the soldiers’ hair looked like buffalo fur. Other lore contends it was due to the soldiers’ fierceness in battle.

The all-black regiments patrolled new settlements in the West, built infrastructure that helped make westward expansion possible, and fought in every U.S. war after the Civil War until the U.S. Army was desegregated in 1948. However, despite their significant role in U.S. history, their own story has been largely erased over time.
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Buffalo soldier, 98, doesn't want black regiments' history to 'fade out' (Original Post) Recursion Feb 2019 OP
I hope I look that healthy when... NeoGreen Feb 2019 #1
I never knew that. Myrddin Feb 2019 #2
I got to meet the son of a guy who served as a "buffalo soldier". akraven Feb 2019 #3
Not to worry, Sergeant. TomSlick Feb 2019 #4
I've been trying to find a film history of them - cilla4progress Feb 2019 #5

Myrddin

(327 posts)
2. I never knew that.
Fri Feb 15, 2019, 05:22 PM
Feb 2019

Thanks, Recursion.

The term was familiar (from a Bob Marley song IFIRC?) but I wasn't aware of the significance.

The education is very much appreciated.

akraven

(1,975 posts)
3. I got to meet the son of a guy who served as a "buffalo soldier".
Fri Feb 15, 2019, 06:28 PM
Feb 2019

He was an incredible guy (the son) and had some great stories to share. These guys were heroes of the finest kind. Thanks for the reminder.

cilla4progress

(24,589 posts)
5. I've been trying to find a film history of them -
Sun Feb 17, 2019, 08:10 PM
Feb 2019

I've recently learned they were some of the first national park rangers!

But the only ones I've found focus on battles against Native Americans.

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