Free Republic

A plaque in Audubon Park honoring the Buffalo Soldiers was vandalized Wednesday morning (May 2), the day after a Mid-City statue commemorating Charles Didier Dreux, who was the first Confederate field officer killed in the Civil War, was defaced. The Buffalo Soldiers were all-black cavalries, led mostly by white officers, who are best known for fighting in military campaigns against Native American tribes in the late 1800s. The Audubon Park plaque reads, "The name "Buffalo Soldiers" was given to them by the Plains Indians. They gained respect from the Indians because of their fighting spirit, stamina, courage, and the similarity...

Newly installed signs share Sierra Vista’s status as a gateway to the Arizona Trail, inspiring residents and visitors alike to explore this key outdoor recreation asset that begins at the international border with Mexico and meanders over 800 miles north to Utah. The City recently installed signs at each end of Buffalo Soldier Trail, completing a project initially spurred by Bernie Stalmann, a local resident who is a longtime member of the Arizona Trail Association board of directors. Sierra Vista is the fifth of 33 gateway communities in the state to install these signs provided by the Arizona Trail Association....

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Mark Matthews, the oldest Buffalo Soldier, has died at the age of 111. He'll be buried Monday at Arlington National Cemetery. Matthews joined the legendary unit of black cavalry troops in 1910 at the age of 16. He soon found himself serving under Gen. John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing in the Army's pursuit of Pancho Villa, the revolutionary from Mexico who was considered a bandit. Matthews later served in the South Pacific during World War II, rising to the rank of 1st sergeant.

Retired 1st Sgt. Mark Matthews, 111, one of the last of the nation's legendary Buffalo Soldiers, died of pneumonia Sept. 6 at Fox Chase Nursing Home in Washington. Sgt. Matthews, who also was the oldest Buffalo Soldier, was heir to a proud military heritage that originated with the black soldiers who fought in the Indian wars on the Western frontier. Historians say that the Cheyenne, Kiowa and Apache tribes bestowed the appellation because the soldiers' black, curly hair reminded them of a buffalo's mane.

WASHINGTON -- Retired 1st Sgt. Mark Matthews, 111, one of the last of the nation's legendary Buffalo Soldiers, died of pneumonia Sept. 6 at Fox Chase Nursing Home in Washington. ---snip--- Fort Huachuca, Ariz., where he was first stationed, was still using local Indians as guides.