The annual Veterans Day ceremony took place at the Central Texas Veterans Memorial in Brownwood Monday morning, where Buffalo Soldier George Edward Smith was honored with a plaque that will be added to the memorial.
Smith, a Brownwood pastor and schoolteacher, is one of five US Army Buffalo Soldiers laid to rest in Greenleaf Cemetery. A Virginia native, Smith in 1869 enlisted in Company C, 9th Calvary Regiment, nicknamed the Buffalo Soldiers. His regiment and other soldiers from Fort Concho and Fort McKavett took part in grueling scouting and military campaigns against hostile Apache and Cheyenne Indians, often facing days without proper supplies and water on the high plains. His regiment was instrumental in the defeat of the Mescalero Apache Indians led by Chief Vitorio in 1880. In 1881 Smith mustered out of the military and moved to Brownwood where he began the city’s first school for black children in 1886, and in 1888 established the Lee Chapel African Methodist Church.
Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Otis Felton read the inscription on Smith’s plaque to the those in attendance, while Sherley Spears – founder of the NAACP Buffalo Soldier Memorial in San Angelo – and SGM William Reese – also known as Brownwood’s Buffalo Soldier – shared details on the history of the Buffalo Soldiers.
Spears said, “In 1866, one year after the Civil War ended, Congress determined a need to patrol and manage the western undeveloped territories of the United States. On July 28, 1866, Congress passed what is known as the Army Organization Act allowing African-American men, including former slaves, to serve in the special created all-black military unit following the Civil War. Through the Indian wars, these soldiers were given the name Buffalo Soldiers from the indigenous people that lived in the area. The Buffalo Soldiers experienced racial prejudice and discrimination, yet served bravely and with distinction. In addition to opening up the west for settlement, these soldiers mapped the west, stretched telegraph lines allowing the area connection to the east. They served as a police force where no law existed, served as park rangers in the newly created national park service, and generally facilitated the civilization of the center of the nation.”
Reese said, “The Buffalo Soldiers when it started was a pilot program. The government did not know what to do with the black soldiers. After the Civil War, the Native American Indians were running rampant out in the west. The Buffalo Soldiers’ role was to guard the railroads and camps, build the telegraph lines, they had a significant role to play. The Buffalo Soldiers were respected by the Native Americans and never gave them trouble. The Native Americans gave them the name Buffalo Soldiers because of their dark skin and curly hair. During that time the pay of the Buffalo Soldiers was half of their counterparts. Many white officers, including General Custer, refused to take the role as an officer for the Buffalo Soldiers. The uniforms and clothing were all hand me downs, but they took everything they received and made it work, and had the lowest desertion rate in the United States Army.”
Also during the event, Citizens National Bank President JD Johnson presented challenge coins to veterans Reese, Clyde Baker, Butch Blair, George Canales, Michael Richardson, and Dr. Steven Kelley, past president of the Central Texas Veterans Memorial.
Brownwood Mayor Stephen Haynes and District 68 State Representative David Spiller also spoke during the event.
Spiller said, “Today marks 70 years of celebrating Veterans Day. Originally observed as Armistice Day, the 11th day of the 11th month marked the anniversary of the signing of the armistice on Nov. 11, 1918 stopping the Great War, World War I. As our nation mourned, there was hope that the Great War was the war to end all wars, of course we know that it wasn’t. As war and conflict continued, so did the courage and sacrifice of American men and women who defended our nation and its interests, and many paid the ultimate sacrifice. In 1954, President Eisenhower signed a proclamation changing Armistice Day to Veterans Day, and that proclamation states that Veterans Day will ever remain a day of remembrance for those who have placed their love of God and country, their devotion to liberty and freedom, above even life itself. But it’s also a day of rejoicing that American manhood and womanhood always has measured up to our responsibilities. While those responsibilities may have shifted and evolved with each generation, the love of this country is a common thread that bonds veterans from the earliest days of our nation’s founding to those serving today.”
Haynes said, “Can there be any doubt that our veterans represent the heartbeat of America? While our politicians forecast storms in order to gain political advantage, our veterans say simply that they will fight through any storm. While politicians claim that we have to change, our veterans say I’ll fight for her just the way that she is. And while our media may have us believe that we are hopelessly divided, our veterans stand for the proposition that what we have in common dramatically outweighs our differences. I want to a say very heartfelt thank you to our veterans for all that you do.”
