H 4473 Session 112 (1997-1998)
H 4473 Concurrent Resolution, By Govan, Breeland, J. Brown, T. Brown, A.W. Byrd,
Canty, Cave, Clyburn, Cobb-Hunter, Gourdine, J. Hines, M. Hines, Howard,
Inabinett, Kennedy, Lee, Lloyd, Mack, McMahand, Moody-Lawrence, J.H. Neal,
Pinckney, Scott, F. Smith and Whipper
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION TO EXPRESS THE SINCERE GRATITUDE OF THE MEMBERS OF THE
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA FOR THE DISTINGUISHED SERVICE
OF THE BUFFALO SOLDIERS AND TO DECLARE FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1998, AS "BUFFALO
SOLDIER DAY" IN HONOR OF THE SIGNIFICANCE AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF THESE BRAVE
HEROES TO THEIR COUNTRY AND TO THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA DURING BLACK
HISTORY MONTH.
01/22/98 House Introduced HJ-3
01/22/98 House Referred to Committee on Invitations and Memorial
Resolutions HJ-4
A CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
TO EXPRESS THE SINCERE GRATITUDE OF THE MEMBERS
OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF SOUTH
CAROLINA FOR THE DISTINGUISHED SERVICE OF THE
BUFFALO SOLDIERS AND TO DECLARE FRIDAY,
FEBRUARY 20, 1998, AS "BUFFALO SOLDIER DAY" IN
HONOR OF THE SIGNIFICANCE AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF
THESE BRAVE HEROES TO THEIR COUNTRY AND TO THE
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA DURING BLACK HISTORY
MONTH.
Whereas, Black Americans have fought heroically in every major
conflict in the United States, even during the Indian wars and
American Revolution; and
Whereas, legend has it that the first Buffalo Soldiers were named so
by Native Americans because their hair and fierce fighting spirit
reminded Native Americans of the great buffalo which they revered;
and
Whereas, in 1867, Congress created four black regiments: the 9th
U.S. Calvary, 10th U.S. Calvary, 24th U.S. Infantry, and 25th U.S.
Infantry, which we now know as Buffalo Soldiers. These soldiers
were sent West by Congress to protect settlements, railroad workers,
and to build roads and set up telegraphs. They were also responsible
for rediscovering and mapping huge plots of unknown territory,
particular in the Southwest; and
Whereas, nearly two hundred thousand Black Americans served in
the Union Army during the Civil War and more than thirty-three
thousand of them died on Civil War battlefields; and
Whereas, the Buffalo Soldiers had a far lower desertion rate than
white soldiers during the same period, and a far lower rate of
alcoholism; and
Whereas, the Medal of Honor, established during the Civil War era
and sometimes commonly referred to as the Congressional Medal of
Honor, is the highest distinction a soldier may earn for battlefield
valor; and
Whereas, the Buffalo Soldiers of the Old West earned twenty-five
Medals of Honor during their tenure; and
Whereas, black soldiers who fought in World War I were denied the
Medal of Honor, despite the fact that during World War I, black
soldiers were highly decorated by the French for their heroic
battlefield deeds. Seventy years after World War I, Corporal Freddie
Stowers was given the Medal of Honor posthumously; and
Whereas, during World War II black soldiers were still segregated by
race and again became known as the Buffalo Soldiers. The buffalo
became the mascot of the segregated troops during World War II; and
Whereas, more than one million black soldiers were involved in
World War II, of them fifty thousand saw combat. But none received
the Medal of Honor, until 1997, fifty-two years after World War II;
and
Whereas, on January 13, 1997, during a White House Ceremony in
the East Room, fifty-two years after their World War II service, seven
black World War II veterans were presented the Medal of Honor; and
Whereas, Vernon J. Baker was the only living black World War II
veteran to receive the Medal of Honor. The other six black World
War II veterans recognized on January 13, 1997, were deceased at the
time of the ceremony; and
Whereas, the legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers lingers not only in
Vernon Baker's valor, but also in the fact that the first two blacks to
become generals in the United States Army came from the ranks of
the World War II Buffalo Division. Vernon Baker trained one of
those men, Major General James F. Hamlet, in combat; and
Whereas, some of the oldest and best known black universities,
Howard, Hampton, and Fisk, for example, were founded by Union
generals. Lincoln University in Missouri was started with money
donated by enlisted men from the Regiment of the U.S. Colored
Troops after the Civil War; and
Whereas, it is appropriate for the members of the General Assembly
to pause in their deliberations, to extend to the Buffalo Soldiers and
their families their full support and appreciation for their unselfish
acts of loyalty, dedication, and commitment to the citizens of the
United States of America and our Palmetto State. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate
concurring:
That the members of the General Assembly of the State of South
Carolina, by this resolution, express their sincere gratitude for the
distinguished service of the Buffalo Soldiers and to declare Friday,
February 20, 1998, as "Buffalo Soldier Day" in honor of the
significance and contributions of these brave heroes to their country
and to the State of South Carolina during Black History month.
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