By Becky Huber
The Lakewood Historical Society program, “The Legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers”, will be held on Tuesday, November 19th at 7:00pm, at St Mary’s Episcopal Church, 10630 Gravelly Lake Drive SW, Lakewood, WA. It is free and open to the public.
Named by the Indians, “because they had the hair, eyes and the toughness of buffalos”, the all black 9th and 10th US Army Cavalry Buffalo Soldier Regiments were authorized by Congress in peacetime 1866, and were sent West to secure it for settlements. African American Army regiments had fought during the Civil War, and continued serving as the recognized and segregated 9th and 10th Buffalo Soldiers in wars from 1866 to WWII.
Local historian, William Jones created one of only two museums nationwide, dedicated to the Buffalo Soldiers. His daughter, Jackie Jones-Hook has maintained her father’s legacy and the history since his passing at the age of 91 in 2009, and will be the presenter at the Lakewood Historical Society Annual Meeting honoring military veterans. The website for her museum is www.buffalosoldierstacoma.org.
As part of the evening’s program, the Society will hold the election of officers and directors, provide year-end reports of programs, activities and accomplishments and debut special awards recognizing noteworthy volunteers for their service. The Society will also be celebrating its 15th Anniversary, founded in 1998.