Buffalo Soldiers legacy shared at Sheppard

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Valerie Hosea
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
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 of the servicemen at that time. They worked hard and did a lot for the country, especially our region."

Buffalos Soldiers contributed to the creation of Fort Sill by building more than 28 of the installation's buildings. Trooper Gray said they also helped make rail transportation to Oklahoma possible.

"Without them, you would not be able to get to Oklahoma," he said. "They were the ones that basically built the railroads to get to and from there."

Trooper Gray shared the interesting story of one special Buffalo Soldier in particular.

"Cathy Williams was the only female Buffalo Soldier known to serve," he said. "Because women weren't allowed to serve back then, Cathy became a part of the 41st Infantry by masquerading herself as a man.

"She changed her name to William Cathy and served for two years undetected," he said.

The Buffalo Soldiers were in 1866 and the original cavalries were deactivated in 1944. However, the current 10th Cavalry was reactivated in 1958.