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HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, In the latter part of the 19th century, African |
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American army personnel performed heroic service on the Texas |
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frontier, as well as elsewhere in the Southwest and on the Great |
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Plains; and |
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WHEREAS, Called Buffalo Soldiers by the Plains Indians, the |
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men belonged to African American units that had been created in the |
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aftermath of the Civil War; in 1866, Congress authorized the |
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establishment of six black regiments, the 9th and 10th U.S. Cavalry |
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and the 38th, 39th, 40th, and 41st U.S. Infantry; the latter four |
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units were consolidated in 1869 into the 24th and 25th U.S. |
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Infantry; and |
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WHEREAS, Cavalry and infantry units of the Buffalo Soldiers |
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served in Texas from 1867 to 1885; often stationed at isolated |
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posts, they patrolled the frontier, escorted mail carriers, built |
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roads, and performed a number of other duties; and |
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WHEREAS, Buffalo Soldiers also fought with valor in most of |
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the major campaigns of the period, seeing combat against the |
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Cheyenne, Kiowa, Comanche, Apache, Sioux, and Arapaho; during the |
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Indian Wars, 13 Buffalo Soldiers won the Medal of Honor, the |
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nation's highest military award; five more were accorded that |
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prestigious decoration during the Spanish-American War; and |
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WHEREAS, Elements of the Buffalo Soldier regiments also |
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helped to suppress the Philippine Insurrection and took part in |
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General John J. Pershing's Punitive Expedition; during World War |
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II, the 9th and 10th Cavalry were disbanded and their personnel |
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transferred to other units; the 25th Infantry fought in the Pacific |
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and was deactivated in 1949, while the 24th Infantry fought in the |
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Pacific and the opening stages of the Korean War before being |
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deactivated in 1951; and |
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WHEREAS, Notable officers who served with the Buffalo |
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Soldiers included Henry O. Flipper, the first African American to |
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graduate from West Point, as well as Benjamin H. Grierson, Abner |
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Doubleday, William R. Shafter, Joseph A. Mower, and Edward Hatch; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Public interest in the Buffalo Soldiers was |
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rekindled in the 1960s by a John Ford film, Sergeant Rutledge, and |
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by the publication of several scholarly histories; in the 1990s, |
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assisted by the Soldiers in Blue Committee of Abilene, the Texas |
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Parks and Wildlife Department launched a statewide educational |
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program that now works with a network of local Buffalo Soldier |
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reenactment and living history groups; the Texas Buffalo Soldiers |
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community program of the TPWD has reached many young people across |
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Texas, introducing them to the story of these African American |
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soldiers and also to the history of Hispanic vaqueros, Native |
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Americans, frontier women, and other cultural groups of that era; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, The TPWD has also created the Texas Buffalo Soldiers |
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Heritage Trail project, the initial plan for which was conceived by |
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Dr. A. C. Jackson and Gloria Jackson of Abilene, James and Robbyne |
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Fuller of Midland, Eric Strong of Lubbock, and TPWD staff member Ken |
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Pollard; the objective of the project is to promote heritage |
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tourism while encouraging the preservation of significant sites and |
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properties associated with the Buffalo Soldiers and other frontier |
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minorities in Texas; and |
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WHEREAS, A number of events related to the Buffalo Soldiers |
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are scheduled for each July, which was designated Buffalo Soldiers |
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Heritage Month by the 76th Texas Legislature; and |
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WHEREAS, Through their bravery and devotion to duty, the |
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Buffalo Soldiers contributed significantly to the development of |
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the Lone Star State and reflected honor on the army of this nation, |
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and their story is indeed deserving of special recognition; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 80th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby commemorate the courageous service of the Buffalo Soldiers |
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and encourage all Texans to acquaint themselves with the |
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outstanding history of their regiments. |
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King of Taylor |
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______________________________ |
______________________________ |
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President of the Senate |
Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.C.R. No. 140 was adopted by the House on |
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March 22, 2007, by a non-record vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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I certify that H.C.R. No. 140 was adopted by the Senate on |
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March 27, 2007, by a viva-voce vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Secretary of the Senate |
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APPROVED: __________________ |
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Date |
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__________________ |
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Governor |