General Colin Powell and Naval Commander Carlton Philpot led the effort, which raised $1.3 million for a park and bronze sculpture of the Buffalo Soldier at historic Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

GENERAL COLIN POWELL

"'The officers and enlisted men have cheerfully endured many hardships and privations, and in the midst of great dangers, steadfastly maintained the most gallant and zealous devotion to duty, and they may well be proud of the record made and rest assured that the hard work undergone in the accomplishment of self improvement and valorous service to country cannot fail sooner or later to meet with due recognition and reward. Benjamin H. Grierson, Colonel, 10th Cavalry.'"

Powell went on:

"And now, one hundred and four years later, on July 25, 1992, his dream of recognition and reward has finally come true. And so has my dream.

"Beginning with the Buffalo Soldiers in 1866, African-Americans would henceforth always be in unform, challenging the conscience of a nation, posing the question of how could they be allowed to defend the cause of freedom, to defend the nation--if they themselves were to be denied the benefits of being Americans?

"The great liberator Frederick Douglass made the same point. Douglass said ... 'Once let the black man get upon his person the brass letters of "U.S." let him get an eagle on his buttons, and there is no power on earth which can deny him his citizenship in the United States of America.'

"So look at this statue. Look at him. Imagine him in his coat of blue ... on his horse ... a pistol on his hip. Courageous iron will. He showed that the theory of inequality must be wrong. He could not be denied his right. It might take time--it did take time. But he knew that in the end he could not be denied.

"The Buffalo Soldiers were not the only ones in the struggle ... the 24th and the 25th infantry regiments ... the 92nd and 93rd infantry divisions ... the high flying Tuskegee Airmen ... the parachuting Triple-Nickels ... our navy's Golden Thirteen ... the Monfort Point Marines ... and thousands of other brave black Americans have gone in harm's way for their country since the days of the Buffalo Soldier. Always moving forward and upward ... step by step ... sacrifice by sacrifice.

"But we are not here today to criticize an America of a hundred and fifty years ago, but to rejoice--to rejoice--that we live in a country that has permitted a spiritual descendant of the Buffalo Soldier to stand before you today as the first African-American Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"And I am deeply mindful of the debt I owe to those who went before me. I climbed on their backs. I will never forget their service and their sacrifice. And I challenge every young person today ... don't forget their service and sacrifice ... don't forget our service and sacrifice and climb on our backs to be eagles.

"And so the powerful purpose of this monument must be to motivate us. To motivate us to keep struggling until all Americans have equal seat at our national table. Until all Americans enjoy every opportunity to excel ... every chance to achieve their dreams ... limited only by their imagination and their own ability.

"We will leave this beautiful monument site today knowing that caring Americans made a modest dream come true. But let us also leave, my friends, determined that the most important dream in the world--the American Dream--of progress and full equality has gained today with this monument a new vision.

"A new strength.

And a new tomorrow ... "

A country with no regard for its past, will do little worth remembering in the future.
-Abraham Lincoln-

The errors and shortcomings of this WEb-Site, however, are entirely my own.

ALTON G. GORE

WebMaster

Return to Top of Page