Ramblings' Journal

Oldest Buffalo Soldier, aged 111, dies in Washington

Retired First Sergent Mark Matthews passed away last week at 111, as one of the last -- at least to that point -- living Buffalo Soldiers who served this nation during the Indian Wars on the Western frontier.

Sgt. Matthews died of pneumonia at Washington's Fox Chase Nursing Home.

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.

Sgt. Matthews joined up at the end of the Buffalo Soldiers' colorful Western exploits. The regiments that made up the Buffalo Soldiers -- the 9th and 10th cavalries and 24th and 25th infantries -- stayed together for years afterward, however, fighting in World War I and II and Korea. The all-black regiments were disbanded in 1952 after the Army desegregated.

Sgt. Matthews was born Aug. 7, 1894, in Greenville, Ala., and grew up in Mansfield, Ohio. He rode horses starting when he was a child, delivering newspapers on his pony.

Thank you for your service, Sgt. Matthews; it is much appreciated and admired.

God bless you and Godspeed as you go with God.

Posted by mhking at September 13, 2005 01:00 PM | TrackBack