1-1 1 1-2 SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 421 1-3 WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas takes pride in 1-4 recognizing July of 1999 as Texas Buffalo Soldiers Month and 1-5 July 28, 1999, as Texas Buffalo Soldiers Capitol Salute Day; and 1-6 WHEREAS, Buffalo Soldiers played a significant role in the 1-7 history of the Lone Star State, and it is appropriate that the 1-8 Texas Senate pay tribute to their place in our history and to 1-9 their courage and dedication; and 1-10 WHEREAS, The Buffalo Soldiers were African-American soldiers 1-11 who fought in most of the major frontier campaigns against the 1-12 Indians during the period of 1866 to 1892, as well as in the 1-13 Spanish-American War; they were combatants against the Cheyenne, 1-14 Kiowa, Comanche, Apache, Sioux, and Arapaho Indians; and 1-15 WHEREAS, The Buffalo Soldiers were given their name by the 1-16 Plains Indians and consisted of four regiments; 13 enlisted men 1-17 and six officers from those regiments earned the Medal of Honor 1-18 during the Indian wars; five other enlisted men received the Medal 1-19 of Honor for their efforts during the Spanish-American War; and 1-20 WHEREAS, Many outstanding officers served with the Buffalo 1-21 Soldiers, including Henry O. Flipper, Benjamin H. Grierson, 1-22 Abner Doubleday, William Rufus Shafter, Joseph A. Mower, and 1-23 Edward Hatch; and 1-24 WHEREAS, Several scholarly histories on the Buffalo Soldiers 2-1 were written during the 1960s, and public interest was rekindled 2-2 by the John Ford production of Sergeant Rutledge; in 1990, the 2-3 Texas Buffalo Soldiers Program was founded by the Soldiers in Blue 2-4 Committee in Abilene; directed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife 2-5 Department, the program has expanded into a statewide initiative, 2-6 reaching thousands of youths and families through living history 2-7 demonstrations that are performed at state parks and other venues; 2-8 and 2-9 WHEREAS, The Texas Buffalo Soldier Heritage Trails of Texas 2-10 Project was developed by A. C. and Gloria Jackson of Abilene, 2-11 James and Robbyne Fuller of Midland, Eric Strong of Lubbock, 2-12 and Ken Pollard of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in 2-13 Austin; the project aims at involving Texas communities in the 2-14 preservation of the history of the minority citizens of our state; 2-15 now, therefore, be it 2-16 RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 2-17 76th Legislature, hereby pay tribute to the Buffalo Soldiers and 2-18 express appreciation for their extraordinary valor and their many 2-19 accomplishments on behalf of our state; and, be it further 2-20 RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared in honor 2-21 of Texas Buffalo Soldiers Month as an expression of esteem from 2-22 the Texas Senate. 2-23 West 2-24 ______________________________________ 2-25 President of the Senate 2-26 I hereby certify that the above 2-27 Resolution was adopted by the Senate 2-28 on March 17, 1999. 2-29 ______________________________________ 3-1 Secretary of the Senate 3-2 ______________________________________ 3-3 Member, Texas Senate