"Buffalo Soldiers"

In 1866, following the American Civil War, Congress created six all African American Army units that later merged into four: the 9th and 10th Cavalry and the 24th and 25th Infantry Regiments. Composed of former slaves, freemen, and black Civil War veterans, these units helped settle the West by escorting and protecting settlers, cattle drives, and railroad crews and tracks during westward expansion. The 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments also conducted campaigns against American Indian tribes on the western frontier and fought in over 175 engagements. Their combat prowess, bravery, tenaciousness, and appearance on the battlefield inspired American Indians to call them Buffalo Soldiers, symbolizing respect for the soldiers' bravery and valor, and they continued to wear the name with pride through the years. The last segregated black regiment to see combat was deactivated in 1951, and Buffalo Soldier became a generic term for all African American Army soldiers whose bravery earned them an honored place in U.S. history. Vernon J. Baker, born in Cheyenne, Wyoming, on December 17, 1919, became the last of only nine World War II African Americans to win the Congressional Medal of Honor. Commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant after completing Officer Candidate School, he served in an all black company that was part of the 370th Infantry Regiment, 92nd Infantry. On April 5-6, 1945, near Castle Aghinolfi in northern Italy, Baker, with the assistance of his men, showed extraordinary heroism by destroying two enemy positions and then covering the evacuation of his company's wounded by drawing enemy fire to his exposed position. The following night he voluntarily led a battalion sized assault against the enemy through minefields and heavy fire. In this predawn battle, Baker and his unit killed 26 Germans, destroyed 6 machine gun nests, 2 observation posts, and 4 dugouts. He earned a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star, and the Distinguished Service Cross and became one of the most highly decorated African American soldiers serving in the Mediterranean Theater. On January 13, 1997, 52 years after his World War II military service, President Bill Clinton presented Vernon Baker with the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest decoration for battlefield valor, making him the last World War II Buffalo Soldier to be so recognized.

Cheyenne, Wyoming · United States