Unveiling of National Infantry Museum Buffalo Soldiers monument coming soon

A monument in honor of the Buffalo Soldiers, the first all-black infantry regiments in the U.S. Army, will be unveiled next month at the National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center.

Retired 1st Sgt. Grady Snell Jr., founder and CEO of the Global Association of Buffalo Soldiers Recognition and Riding Club, said the organization has raised the $55,000 necessary to complete the project. The monument is currently under construction at the Columbus Monument Company. The unveiling ceremony will be held Feb. 16 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Memorial Walk of Honor, 1775 Legacy Way.

“It feels like you’ve been playing in the Super Bowl, and you’re in the fourth quarter, and you’re up by 30 points, and there’s a minute left,” Snell said.

Buffalo Soldiers was the name given to several units that served in the Army between 1866 an 1951, according to information provided by the organization. Some of the soldiers were stationed at Fort Benning with the 24th Infantry Regiment from 1922 to 1942.

The units also include the 25th Infantry Regiment, which was the only Bicycle Corps to serve in the Army. In the late 19th century, black soldiers rode bikes from Montana to Missouri to test the bicycle against the horse for transporting infantry soldiers. They rode 1,900 miles in about 41 days.

The monument will include elements from that project, as well as the soldiers’ peacetime and wartime accomplishments, Snell said. The foundation will be made of black granite imported from Africa.

Snell became interested in the Buffalo Soldiers in the 1990s, while working on a research paper at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy in Fort Bliss, Texas. Since then, he has been on a campaign to preserve the legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers for future generations.

Snell said the group raised the $55,000 through sponsorships and other efforts. Members also raises funds for the Wounded Warriors Transition Battalion, Early Childhood Education, high school JROTC and church programs.

Last February, the group held a groundbreaking for the monument in observance of the birthdays of two men who opened the door for the Buffalo Soldiers to serve their country: President Abraham Lincoln and the black abolitionist Frederick Douglass.

Snell said the unveiling will be held in memory of the two men and all the Buffalo Soldiers who served their country gallantly.

“I think it’s important because of what they went through - the discrimination, the unfair treatment, the racism they had to face, all to prove that they were worthy of being a solider in the United States Army,” he said. “ ... I felt the least we could do is recognize them, and educate people about them, their accomplishments and the sacrifices they made on behalf of the country and the way we live today.”

This story was originally published January 31, 2017 at 4:55 PM with the headline "Unveiling of National Infantry Museum Buffalo Soldiers monument coming soon."