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FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. — One of the most experienced interrogators in the Defense Department looked straight into Ahmed's eyes and asked him for the third time: "Ahmed, what insurgent organization do you belong to?" Sitting in the room with no windows, Ahmed refused to answer the interrogator's questions. He was stoic — similar to many al Qaeda insurgents the interrogator had questioned at the detention center at the U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. But, this time, things were different. Ahmed, who uses an alias, was practicing as an advanced interrogation student at Fort Huachuca, the nation's largest intelligence-training facility...

2/25/2010 - SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFNS) -- The members of Sheppard Air Force base learned about the legacy of Buffalo Soldiers during a banquet Feb. 19 here. Buffalo Soldiers were the first African Americans to serve in the "regular" U.S. Army immediately after the Civil War. "The Buffalo soldiers were mostly former slaves from all over the nation, but a lot of them were from the South," said Trooper Fred Gray, the former president of the Lawton-Fort Sill, Okla. Chapter of the 9th and 10th Horse Cavalry Association of the Buffalo Soldiers. "They made up about 20 percent...

Reporting from Yosemite National Park— Their Yosemite Valley tour was nearing its end, and the church ladies and gents from South Los Angeles had heard enough. Almost. "He's been telling us stories he thinks we want to hear for two hours," said Ann Hale, 70, heaving a sigh of frustration from the back of the tram. In fact, guide William Fontana had been regaling his listeners — most of them white — with stories about John Muir and Theodore Roosevelt, about fur trappers and rock climbers. "We're still waiting for at least a few words about Yosemite's African American Buffalo...

FORT HUACHUCA — There’s some graffiti on the wall, the ceiling has been torn down and the only inhabitants seem to be rodents since the fate of a historic black officers club was to be torn down. Dave Perryman, left, restoration coordinator for the Mountain View Colored Officers Club project, talks Friday with contractors and engineers inside the club on Fort Huachuca. (Beatrice Richardson-Herald/Review) “At one time, it must have been marvelous,” Jan Sheller said after walking through the building and its many rooms on Friday afternoon. Contractors and members of the Southwest Association of Buffalo Soldiers walk in front...

This week marks 60 years since President Harry Truman ordered an end to segregation in the US Armed Forces. (Transcript) President Truman: (July 26, 1948) Now, therefore, by virtue of the authority invested in me as President of the United States, and as Commander in Chief of the armed services, it is hereby ordered as follows: It is hereby declared to be the policy of the President that there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion or national origin. Today in a ceremony in the Oval Office,...

The following article derives from a paper the author delivered at the 1998 Conference of Army Historians in Bethesda, Maryland. Finding the middle, where the truth sometimes rests, requires you to know the edges. When it comes to responsibility for the victory of the United States Army on San Juan Heights, Cuba, on 1 July 1898, the edges are easy to find. On one side, there is the Teddy-centric view, first and most clearly expressed in the writings of Lt. Col. Theodore Roosevelt of the 1st Volunteer Cavalry Regiment—the legendary Rough Riders. Roosevelt’s memoir of Cuba so emphasized his own...

Tulsa - Funeral services will be held this morning for Dr. Wilbert Wilson, the last of the Buffalo Soldiers, who passed away last week at age 86. Wilson's unit, the 10th Cavalry, served during World War II, guarding the California-Mexico border from attempts by the Japanese to invade the country. In recent years, Wilson spent his free time making appearances at area schools, educating children about the Buffalo Soldiers. The name Buffalo Soldiers was given to troops of the all-black 9th and 10th Cavalry regiments during the Indian wars of the late 1800s. Because of the successes of the all-black...

FORT HUACHUCA — This year’s gala fund-raiser dinner for the Mountain View Colored Officers’ Club Rehabilitation Project is expected to lead into a major effort to obtain donations to restore the World War II facility. Just recently, the association received an artist’s rendering of what the building looked like when it was constructed in 1952. The fort was the major Army post training colored soldiers, as black soldiers were called in that era, for combat during the war. Two divisions, the 92nd and 93rd trained on the post, with one being sent to fight in Europe and the other in...

SIERRA VISTA — The path to saving the black officers club on Fort Huachuca is getting smoother, according to a man leading an effort to protect it. Harlan Bradford, chairman of the Southwest Association of Buffalo Soldiers’ project to save the World War II facility, also said his organization is hoping Building 66050 will be designated one of “America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places” by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. He said the building being listed would be a great help in saving the facility. Last year, SWABS tried to have the building listed as one of “America’s 11...

BAGHDAD -- The padded walls and bulletproof glass kept the sound of the world out as the crew of the Buffalo ambled down the highway at a grazing pace, examining litter. Boxes. Rags. Bags. Dead dogs. The American soldiers riding in the military's newest weapon against roadside bombs scrutinized everything they saw beneath their windows. "Hey, he says he sees a rag," Staff Sgt. Matthew Dzuricky, 28, of Erie, Pa., called out to his men in the Buffalo, a lumbering South African armored personnel carrier designed to withstand land mines. Against all conventional Baghdad traffic wisdom, the Buffalo headed straight...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. .................................................................. .................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should...

They wear black cowboy hats and trench coats, and when they strolled into Wesley Clark?s S.C. campaign headquarters recently, workers said it was like the cavalry had arrived. Three Buffalo Soldiers began working for Clark?s S.C. campaign last month, and two more are expected soon. Named for the band of black U.S. soldiers who fought the Indians in the 1870s, these soldiers are black politicos with close ties to former President Bill Clinton. And they?re fighting to help Clark win South Carolina?s Feb. 3 Democratic presidential primary. ?If you?re going to be a soldier, you have to work for a...

<p>For all the controversy surrounding ''Buffalo Soldiers,'' you'd think the film would at least be interesting. Instead, Australian writer-director Gregor Jordan's adaptation of the 1992 novel by Robert O'Connor turns out to be much ado about nothing.</p> <p>In case you haven't heard the saga: ''Buffalo Soldiers'' was bought by Miramax just before the tragedies of Sept. 11, 2001. Because of its subject matter -- US troops engaging in criminal activities overseas in the 1980s -- the film was labeled potentially unpatriotic and insensitive and had its release pushed back at least a half-dozen times by studio heads fearing a jingoistic backlash.</p>

<p>ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Gregor Jordan set out to make a film that teasingly mocked the military.</p> <p>Little did he know he would come under a firestorm from media pundits, the military and those who uphold the memory of America's first all-black cavalry unit, which was nicknamed the Buffalo Soldiers -- also the title of his new movie.</p>

(CNSNews.com) - The Congressional Black Caucus may raise questions about the film Buffalo Soldiers, which critics argue degrades an historic Army unit primarily composed of black soldiers, but not until the summer congressional recess. The Miramax film is based on a 1993 novel by Robert O'Conner and follows the exploits of fictional Army Specialist Ray Elwood (played by Joaquin Phoenix), who supports his heroin habit by selling Army weapons and supplies out of a German base prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall. Some veterans and people who are involved in Buffalo Soldiers history say the film and its...

New Film Smears U.S. Military By Cliff Kincaid A film described as "a no-holds-barred account of corrupt, drug-ridden and under-employed American soldiers" is scheduled to be released in the U.S. The Drudge Report says the film, Buffalo Soldiers, is being released by Miramax, part of the Disney Company, which is "set for maximum controversy." A poster for the film shows an American soldier flashing a "V" for victory sign in front of an American flag with dollar signs instead of stars, under the slogan, "Steal All That You Can Steal."

A film described as "a no-holds-barred account of corrupt, drug-ridden and under-employed American soldiers" is scheduled to be released in the U.S. The Drudge Report says the film, Buffalo Soldiers, is being released by Miramax, part of the Disney Company, which is "set for maximum controversy." A poster for the film shows an American soldier flashing a "V" for victory sign in front of an American flag with dollar signs instead of stars, under the slogan, "Steal All That You Can Steal." [snip] Director Gregor Jordan, who is from Australia, says the film is supposed to be funny. But the...

In the same week that Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch returned home to waving flags and ovations of love, Hollywood is sending out very different pictures. It's portraying the U.S. soldier as a crook and drug-dealing scumbag. The Miramax movie "Buffalo Soldiers" begins its run in New York and Los Angeles just three days after Lynch's return home. Miramax, otherwise often known as the dark side of the Disney empire, signed up to distribute the film on, whoops -- Sept. 10, 2001 -- not too good a time to trash the U.S. military. But with the pundits blasting away at the...

As "Buffalo Soldiers" lurches toward its fiery, bloody ending, there is a lull in the mayhem. It is the autumn of 1989. A group of American soldiers stationed in Germany, woozy from the fumes of heroin cooking around them, nod out in a warehouse, where a television brings news of the fall of the Berlin Wall. "Where is the Berlin Wall?" one of them asks another, who answers that it's in Berlin. Yeah, but where's Berlin? Somebody knows that it's in Germany, explains that there are two countries with that name and guesses that the soldiers themselves are in...

Guitar Sam of the Boycott Hollywood website is organizing a protest for the screening of "Buffalo Soldiers" in his town of New Bern, NC if anyone lives in that vicinity or knows of anyone that would be interested in joining him. Link: http://www.boycott-hollywood.net/vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=14298#post14298 The film is set for limited release in NYC and LA July 25th with broader release soon after. Maybe other freepers would like to organize a protest and alert the media in their city? I live in Syracuse, NY and would be very interested in hearing from others that may wish to join me as well.