Black History Month Rewind: Buffalo Soldiers—Fighting on Two Fronts

Black History Month Rewind: Buffalo Soldiers (Fighting on Two Fronts) — with Nick Brooks

EPISODE SUMMARY
In honor of Black History Month, we’re rewinding some of Armchair Historians’ strongest episodes that spotlight Black history, Black voices, and stories that deserve more room in the public memory.

Today’s rewind revisits my conversation with Air Force veteran and Buffalo Soldiers of Seattle member Nick Brooks—an episode I think about often. Nick helps us move beyond the simplified version of the story and into the lived reality: Black soldiers who served with extraordinary skill and grit, even while fighting for a country that denied them full citizenship and dignity.

We also talk about the documentary Buffalo Soldiers: Fighting on Two Fronts, the complicated legacy of westward expansion, and why telling the full story still matters.

CONTENT NOTE
This episode includes discussion of U.S. westward expansion and the displacement/violence experienced by Native communities, alongside racism faced by Black soldiers within U.S. institutions.

IN THIS EPISODE
• Who the Buffalo Soldiers were (9th & 10th Cavalry; 24th & 25th Infantry) and why the regiments were formed after the Civil War
• The “two fronts” they fought on: military conflict and the fight for recognition/civil rights
• The complicated legacy of serving the U.S. government during westward expansion
• Buffalo Soldiers as early protectors of what would become U.S. National Parks
• How living history work helps preserve legacy—and why it matters for community and veterans

GUEST
Nick Brooks — Air Force veteran and member of Buffalo Soldiers of Seattle (living historians preserving and teaching Buffalo Soldiers history).

LINKS & RESOURCES (as mentioned / helpful follow-up)

Buffalo Soldiers of Seattle:
• https://www.buffalosoldiersofseattle.org/

Documentary: Buffalo Soldiers: Fighting on Two Fronts (Dru Holley)
• Official film site: https://buffalosoldiersmovie.com/
• See the film / screenings page: https://buffalosoldiersmovie.com/seethefilm
• Host a screening (includes contact email + toolkit info): https://buffalosoldiersmovie.com/hostascreening
• Stream via PBS (Local, USA): https://www.pbs.org/video/buffalo-soldiers-fighting-on-two-fronts-e3yici/

Film & community partners mentioned:
• Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF): https://www.siff.net/
• Path with Art:

Transcript

Anne Marie 0:06

Hello fellow. I'm chair Historians. Welcome to the show. I'm Annmarie Cannon, your host, historical fiction author, and curious soul, always chasing the human side of history. Show notes include my website, links to content discussed in the episode, how to support the show, and a free short story download that introduces readers to bedlam from my soon to be released historical fiction series. On this podcast, my guests share the history they love most and we experience it through their eyes, what fascinates them, what they've uncovered, and why the story still matters. Let's get into it. In honor of Black History Month, I'm doing a rewind series bringing back some of our strongest episodes that spotlight, black History, black Voices, and stories that deserve more room in the public memory. Today's rewind. Is when I think about often our episode on the Buffalo Soldiers. In this conversation, my guest, Nick Brooks, helps us step beyond the shortened version of the story and into the lived reality. Black soldiers who served with extraordinary skill and grit, even while fighting for a country that denied them full citizenship and dignity. We talk about what the Buffalo soldiers did, the world they were sent into, and the long historical ripple of their service, how their legacy is remembered, misunderstood, or sometimes ignored. As always, you'll find show notes with links and resources mentioned in the episodes, plus ways to support the podcast if you'd like to help armchair historians keep sharing history that matters. Alright, settle in. Let's rewind. I recently sat down and talked to Air Force Veteran and Buffalo Soldiers of Seattle member Nick Brooks. About the new documentary, Buffalo Soldiers Fighting on two Fronts. Now, if you don't know about the Buffalo Soldiers, which I am embarrassed to say I really didn't know about this, uh, part of our American history, I highly recommend that you listen to this episode and learn as much as you can because this is a very important, almost erased. History. However, thanks to people like Nick, who is an active member and educator representing the Buffalo Soldiers of Seattle. This is changing. The mission of this nonprofit is to preserve accomplishments made by the brave African-American troops of the original US Army regiments, the Mounted Calvary of the ninth and 10th Calvary, and 24th and 25th. Infantries that helped to settle the west. Their contributions have been, in many cases, omitted from the history books or minimized. This has resulted in a lost legacy that they aim to preserve filmmaker, director and producer. Drew Holly was intrigued by this history, and so he partnered with the Buffalo Soldiers of Seattle to be a part of the movie. Which is how Nick became involved with this amazing project. Nick Brooks, welcome to Armchair Historians.

Nick Brooks 3:50

Thank you so much for having me, Annie. So what is your favorite history that we're gonna be talking about today? Well, today we're gonna be talking about the Buffalo Soldier's history. And I have been doing a little bit of reading about it.

Anne Marie 4:10

I did not know, I did not know about the Buffalo Soldiers. The only thing I had ever heard of was'cause I live in Colorado and that Okay. The Buffalo Soldiers used to protect what became the National Parks. I think. True. True. So tell us about the Buffalo Soldiers. Who are they or who were they? So we'll get in the DeLorean in the time machine and go back a little bit. So as the Civil War was coming to an end, and it was one obviously by the United States, they did that with the help of a lot of black troops. They were not official. US military as slavery was still legal and the civil war is over and America starts looking to expand west, and when they do that, they decide to begin enlisting. Black troops, troops. So in July of 1866, Congress makes a authorization in the act that ends up creating six all black regiments for a peace term army to begin moving west. And so that is the beginning of what would become known as the Buffalo Soldiers. That's just a moniker for them. But they actually were the ninth and 10th Cavalry and the 25th and the 26th Infantry Cavaltry being mounted units on horseback and tree being on the ground. Buffalo Soldiers. There's a documentary that's associated with this history. That is correct. I think it's premiering today. It is. It is. It is premiering tonight. In Seattle at 4:30 PM at the Egyptian Theater, and that's being hosted by the Seattle International Film Festival. And not only is it pre premiering online, or not only is it premiering at four 30, but it's also gonna be online at the Seattle International Film Fest Film Festival's website. Oh, okay. Good.'cause I saw that link and I was hoping that was the case. Yeah. Um. So how did you get involved in the movie? So I'm part of a group, a nonprofit called the Buffalo Soldiers of Seattle, and we're a 5 0 1 C3, and we do. We're living historians. Some people might think we're reenactors. We don't fancy ourself reenactors. We're living historians, so to keep their legacy alive, we wear the uniforms from the 1860s. We ride on horseback. We represent the 10th cavalry. We ride on horseback and we give living history. We tell the history of those first all black regiments. And so we do community events and sometimes we may do a parade. And so when we do a parade, if there's a, uh, ending spot or a park we set up, we do pony rides with the kids. We do we, we have a living history thing that we travel with. And we happened to catch the eye of Drew Holly one day, and Drew is a independent filmmaker and he is black and he, he tells me that his daughter points and says, Ooh, horses. And, and so he looks over and. He sees some black guys on horseback and he is like, what is going on? And so Drew comes over and start asking us what's happening. And like we always do, we start to talk to people about who the Buffalo soldiers were. And it's a point of when we talk about it, it's a point of pride because that was. Black Americans chasing the accessible part of the American dream post-slavery, which is, I'm a US citizen if I fight for this country. And so Drew comes over and we start talking to him and we got a, a lot of displays and stuff. We're touchable history, we got the uniforms we ride McClellan, saddles, the same saddles. They wore these sat, some of these saddles were over a hundred years old. Wow. And so Drew was asking and we start telling him like we always do, and we're really enthusiastic and. So Drew takes our information and then not too long after that contacts us and ask if he could do something with us. He didn't know. I don't think exactly what he wanted to do, but I know he wanted to do something. And so that's how our relationship with him began and it just progressed from there. And that was, I want to say. Like 2018. Wow. And so then he just, this evolved into a project for him and a feature length documentary? Yes. He came and shot a couple small pieces and went back to his laboratory. And then before you knew it, we talked and we were essentially doing live action scenes. In the movie itself or in the documentary? Tell us about the documentary. I mean, don't give it away because I would like my listeners to find it and watch it. It sounds almost like you have reenactment scenes in the documentary maybe? Yes. Yes. Okay. So the documentary's titled Buffalo Sutra fighting on two fronts, so it details how they were fighting. To be part of America's expansion West. They were part of that fight, but they also were fighting for recognization and fighting for rights, and later on, obviously civil rights and fighting for a living, fighting for an opportunity, fighting for a chance to be part of this country, which they were. We've always been part of this country. But to wear the flag and to get the recognition and to contribute and say, I'm part of this country. Not just here in servitude I, that, that's the other front they were fighting on. Okay. And so when they're fighting on the two fronts it's just interesting and in many ways. That happens today. I, I served myself, I'm a 20 year Air Force vet out of a combat unit, and the military still has a long way to go. They've come a very long way, but they still have a very long way to go in terms of equity and fairness and being treated and people being treated properly. But today, just like back then, the military still offered you a better. Set of possibilities or outcomes. Then the civil, the civilian world at large. Mm-hmm. So it, it, it was, that fight was worth it. And especially on, in that arena, I always tell people that this is not African American history. This is American history. Mm-hmm. And these are great stories for Americans to look back on. It wouldn't matter if they're a New American or if your family's been here since the Mayflower. It was a front worth fighting on. So in the documentary, sorry to go so far sideways, I get passionate about this. Oh no. This is all great information. It's fascinating. So in the documentary, there are some particular stories that are followed, and without giving away too much I'm in Seattle, Washington right now, Tacoma, technically in the documentary, it follows one particular troupe who's actually buried in Washington state and he is, he's a Medal of Honor winner. And his name is Moses Williams. I was born and raised here, and it wasn't until a few years ago that I knew that you're talking to a person 20 years military. Combat veteran. In my lineage there is, I have family members that were Buffalo soldiers, that were Tuskegee airmen, that, that were part of the birth of the US Air Force itself. And so this documentary Chronicles Moses Williams and others, and it talks about the Buffalo Soldier legacy. Now, here's one interesting thing about it, about their legacy. They're not necessarily viewed positively by everyone because they were part of the, the expansion west, and that meant pushing natives off their land. That meant being used as a tool to help create treaties. And then the country, in many cases, broke those same treaties. And so it's a complicated, it's history. A complicated history. Yeah. It's, it's, it is one of honor, make no doubt about that. But it is like much American history, complicated and it needs to be visited. And that's part of how this country heal is, yeah. Being able to understand each other and understand different routes that we've taken to get where we're at and how we've all contributed to what makes this country great. Drive ingenuity, just. Doing stuff that you think can't be done. So this documentary shares that. Well, it's interesting'cause I saw 1866, I was just reading about this all this morning and I thought, well, that was after the Civil War. For some reason I thought that these were fighters in the Civil War and. Then I read about the expansion and I was like, Ooh. But what I like about the way that you guys tell the history is exactly what you said. It's a complicated history. There's a lot of gray, and I like the fact that unlike the American history that I was fed in school, that you look at it all. You look at it all. I thought that was really interesting. Now, I'm curious, where does the name Buffalo Soldiers come from and is it something that's still used? So a Buffalo soldier is just a nickname that was attached to black troops serving post-Civil war. And you could say that that term and the units that housed them were disbanded after the military integrated. Okay. And what year was that about? That would be, I wanna say it was 1947. Wow. I think it was 1947. Okay. That's a sad history. PO yeah. Post, uh, world War ii. So the reason that moniker was with the black troops was because there's now there's a handful of stories. Okay. Okay. And every, anyone that's into them. Or studies them will probably have their own favorite version. And so the one that I think is most commonly known is that the the black troops were having inter interactions and skirmishes with the Cheyennes on their way west s and the Cheyennes felt that when you encounter. They wear the same uniforms, but they do not look like the mm-hmm. American military we're used to encountering be, and that's because we were black. And so I. They felt that because we had dark skin and because we had curly hair like the buffalo, I don't have none. Like I don't know if I'd be in the buffalo subject, would they even let me in? I don't have no hair because we had curly hair like the buffalo and because when they would have battles with the black troops, the black troops fought like hell. And much like trying to take down a buffalo, it was not gonna be, it's gonna, it's a different kind of a fight when you encounter the black troops. So they went back and spread the word. You might encounter the regular soldiers and you're gonna get one kind of fight. But if you encounter those Buffalo soldiers and the Buffalo's a very revered animal in the native community. Mm-hmm. If you encounter a buffalo soldier, it's gonna be a different kind of a fight. I'm just kind of letting you know, and that's how that nickname came. Now there's other, um, there's another story that they had that those troops had got some buffalo pelts and we're wearing them in the wintertime. Okay, but I don't like that one as much as I like the one where the black troops were fierce fighters, and that's because it's the 1870s, 1880s, and you're a black man in the military and you're earning$13 a month, which was, what were your choices, sharecropping? Or vagrancy because you had no opportunity or you joined the military. Right. So a lot of black men elected to join the military to get like real pay. They had a low desertion rate'cause nobody left. They had the lowest desertion rate. Yeah. Because there was nothing to go back to. Yeah. I'm west of the Mississippi, so the hate level has dropped just a little bit. Yeah, I do, I do history tours in my town and we talk about that because we had a very interesting African American population here. And I always say that, but I, you know, like you say a little bit. Exactly. But, so do you wanna go back to the southeast? Or do you want to head to that new frontier, head west? Earn a paycheck, have a adventure? Which one is it that you want to do? And keep in mind, a lot of these were men that fought for their freedom in the Civil War. So at this point, they're accustomed and they know the difference between. Being a sharecropper, being on a plantation and continuing that whole slave mold or breaking out, having a gun in your hand and expanding west, at least you have a chance to maybe escape what's behind you. You may not know exactly what's in front of you, but you know what's behind you. So the Buffalo soldiers didn't have a high desertion rate. They had the lowest desertion rate, and which contributed to a lot of their acknowledgements, and a lot of the stuff they did, they don't even get the credit for. They were either written out or just not included in the history of the way some things unfold. And that documentary's gonna share some of that with you? That's exactly, and it's gonna, I'm not gonna say it'll blow your mind because I think in this country there's a common theme that there's some untold stories. This doc will fill in some of those blanks. I'm super excited about that. That is a kind of history that I want to tell on my show is those histories that, you know, not the stuff that we were taught in school, but there are so many contemporary historians who are digging deep and looking for a different angle and adding the nuance to. The truth of history. So that really excites me. I'm super excited to see the documentary too. Now you said something earlier that I thought was really interesting. You said that your, you found out that family members fought with the Buffalo Soldiers For me, yes. So I have on the side of the family that I'm married into, I have a deep military history, which is part of what encouraged me to join the military. And I didn't like the thought of being out all the time. So I joined the Air Force'cause I figure. We have a military base up here in Washington State and they always had to go to the field and I didn't like the thought of always being in the field, so I joined the Air Force only to ultimately end up in a combat unit and be out in the field anyway. But so on my wife's side, her grandfather was regular Army before the Air Force. So if you were a black troop in the Army before. Desegregation. You were considered a Buffalo soldier. And then he was also chosen to be in the Army Air Corps, which those folks all became officially Tuskegee Airmen. They just called'em all Tuskegee airmen. Why did they call him Tuskegee Airmen? Because the university, Tuskegee University in Alabama is where they trained the black pilots. Oh, I didn't know that. So the black pilots that came. And the all Black Army Air Corps regiments were, they were called the Tuskegee Airmen. So if you worked with them, which, if you were black in the Air Force, you did, you were a Tuskegee Airman. So he's both a Buffalo soldier. Okay. A Tuskegee Airman. And then they turned the Army Air Corps separated it off and created the Air Force. So he was part of the birth of the Air Force. I have a duty and a responsibility to keep their legacy alive and represent them, which is a part of why I participate in this. But that's the part of the lineage I was talking about. Okay. So Buffalo Soldiers is now, it's a nonprofit organization, you said? So the group that I'm involved with, the Buffalo Soldiers of Seattle. Okay. Is a nonprofit. There are different Buffalo soldiers. Preservation in legacy groups nationwide, and some of them operate together. Some of them operate independently to preserve the legacy, and so we're one of them and we're based out of Seattle. Okay, I get it. Now, why this history? How did you find it and why did you get involved in it? For me, when I retired from the Air Force, it was difficult because you feel like you're experiencing almost like a death. My career is over. Mm. And I was in the southeast and I came back to the northwest. Your mental health takes a hit because you lose a part of your identity. And so when I came back, my uncle. Who has a horse ranch and is involved with the buffalo sources of Seattle, he invited me to come be a part of this legacy group. And I didn't have much interest in it immediately.'cause I felt like I had taken off the uniform. I didn't wanna put the uniform back on. And so as I'm home for longer and longer. I started to realize I have too much idle time, too much dead time, and I'm starting to get depressed. And so I took my uncle up on his offer and I came out and started working with them and riding horses. I actually did a parade and they trained me for a few weeks to ride and be in a parade, and it helped me recapture some of me. Hmm. And I started realizing the benefit that I had, being around the animals and being with family and having an activity to do. And so I joined the group and since I've joined, it's been a huge boost to my morale. You know, uh, a lot of, um, military veterans will commit suicide or because they lose a part of them and that's rough and so. As I did it when I did the parade and I'm riding on horseback in a uniform made out of all like wool that's scratching me all up, and it's from the 1860s in this saddle that looks like it should be uncomfortable, but for some reason that McClellan's a very comfortable saddle and people were cheering the Buffalo Soldiers and the legacy. I started to realize how important it was. To be part of keeping that legacy alive, but how much it was keeping me alive, how good it felt to know. I didn't even know much about the Buffalo Soldiers at the time I did that. Now, granted I wasn't in the Army, I was in the Air Force, but I didn't know much about them. So that was my point at learning who the Buffalo soldiers were also. So in some ways I was even ashamed that I didn't, here I am black guy in the, in the military and I don't know who they are. But I don't think anybody really knew that was very moving. The story you just told, and it's a symbiotic relationship because you are sharing this important legacy with my audience. You're sharing it when you go to your events that you do, I'm thinking, I'm on a, a cultural arts board. How can we get this movie into. Our cultural arts program, how can I get the school to get involved in this history? It's a history that needs to be told. It's so important, and I'm really, glad that you're here with me today telling me this story, telling me this history of which I didn't know. It's, it's, uncovering from the shadows. You know, we have a habit of erasing history and hiding it, and this is. We're bringing out into the light of day, and I'm wondering if we could go a little bit back to you said that it's a complicated history and I'm curious to know a little bit more about that. Yeah. If you could just tell me more about that, the things that the Buffalo soldiers were involved in in the very beginning, and also I'm curious to know if a lot of these men settled in the West. Sure. That's a great question about, um, the complicated history. So the Buffalo Soldiers were essentially a tool of the US government to, as the US government had manifest destiny and they wanted to move all the way west. And there were natives on the land, on all of the land heading west and. The Buffalo Soldiers were used to do everything from escort the natives off their land to reservations, which actually was beneficial to. Both the US and the natives because it prevented bloodshed. There was always more peace when the Buffalo soldiers did it. Oh, interesting. So there was more peace and, but those, some of those deals were broken. So we're still the face of that deal in ways and. Like I said, we were fierce fighters, so there were a lot of battles where the native side took some losses at the hands of the Buffalo soldiers, so we're not necessarily viewed as heroes by all sections of the US and by all communities. And one thing that we do when we are out there is we do address that and we acknowledge it. Sometimes just acknowledging that a wrong happened is more than not saying anything about it. And so while we know we were a tool, we also know that we were brave in our duties. And so. That's really big parts of that complicated legacy. And once again, just because we're black, we wore a US uniform and there were a lot of atrocities that happened against natives. And like when I educate people, I'll tell them about the term scalping. A lot of people associate scalping. With As like this Native American or Indian thing, the Indian scalped white people, when actually it was in reverse. The US government offered money for Indian scalps. If you can get one. They paid a price for a man, a woman, and a child. Oh geez. And as that began happening to the native groups, which was horrible. They began returning the favor. But when, at least as it was fed to me, by the time the terminology and the, and what it is gets to me, it's like Indian scalped people. That's not that's a incomplete story. It actually was the US was paying for Indian scalp, so it's, Hmm. That's interesting and we're woven into that. There were massacres that happened at Indian Villages where the men were away and US troops, be they white, but they were US troops nonetheless, went down in the villages and slaughtered all the people, all the women and children and the older elders that happened, and so we're woven into that even though it wasn't the black troops that did it. We are woven into that. So we're not always. A part of something that every group celebrates. Yeah. And then I, there was a second part of that question, and I can't remember what it was. I know what I was thinking. What was that second part? And the question that I had that I was curious about is, uh, it'll come back to me or so. Where do we see this history in pop culture? It's interesting you say that. Okay, so most people, if you say Buffalo Soldiers, they'll, there's a Bob Marley song called Buffalo Soldiers. Oh. And it's a very popular song. So when people think of the Buffalo Soldiers, they think of Bob Marley and Bob Marley was just singing about the Buffalo Soldier. But you see this in through, throughout history, especially in the American West, the black cowboy the black cowboy is a real thing. There's estimated that it was as few as one in four cowboys were all black. Or more or higher, they don't even know how, what percentage of American cowboys were black and they got the worst job. And in fact, cowboy is kind of a derogatory term. I. Because you have, you had a house boy who worked in the house, didn't matter his age. This black man was a cons referred to as a boy. He was a house boy. He was in field, he was a a field boy. If he worked with the animals, he was a cowboy. It is a atory term because they didn't let. Men be referred to as men in a way to subjugate, but it's a derogatory term that becomes of an a term of endearment because of all the stuff that they do when they're out working with the animals. So like the American rodeo is a derivative of cowboy activities at the end of cattle drives. When all the cattle were rustled up this ranch, put their best ranch hand or cowboy up against this ranch's cowboy. And they did. We let the, let the little cows loose and they have to tag'em and tie'em up and stuff. So that's a part of it. When we talk about the Buffalo soldiers, at least the calvary side. It cowboys black cowboys, and not to go too far off. One of the most popular cowboys of all time is the Lone Ranger, and I'm sure you know the Lone Ranger is black. Annie, did you know that I. I didn't, I didn't know that the l the Lone Ranger, although that does sound familiar, but it's not something that's stuck in my n On the screen, on the big screen, the Lone Ranger was a white man with That's right. A Indian companion named Tanto in real life, the Lone Ranger was a black man named Bass Reeves, and he was alone because he was black and nobody wanted to go with him. He's the lone Ranger. Fascinating. Okay. That man brought in his own son. That was a fugitive. VAs Reeves did. So when we start talking about in pop culture, the Buffalo Soldiers, in addition to movies that they're in and that portray, uh, the Buffalo Soldiers and I can't remember some of the more recent ones. Which brings me to back to the documentary, it's history, but it's updated, it's modern, it's told in hd, you know what I mean? Like it's not gonna be in three by four, it's gonna be in HD four. And when you add in live action with my group and how we got in there and did the writing and we're young. It's not a old story, it's a new, modern, fresh take on on the Buffalo Soldiers. It's a new, modern, fresh look at the Buffalo Soldiers. Yeah. And it's, you know, for a documentary, it's not dry it's very action packed. And there are things in here that will blow your mind. Well, you've already blown my mind with some of the, just the little facts that you told me that I didn't know. So I'm sure that it will blow my mind. So the one soldier that is followed, Moses, Moses Williams, did he have journals or something, or how do we know his story? You don't know his story. Oh, okay. And that's. Both the travesty. Yeah. But it's also the opportunity to bring it to light. And so I don't want to, I'm not gonna go too far into his story Okay. Because I want people to see the documentary Okay. And, and get his story and others and some of the stuff you're gonna learn. And other pop culture references that you have, your, the holes will be filled in. Some of the holes will be filled in. Okay. That's amazing. I do remember the question. Did soldiers from the Buffalo Soldiers, did they settle in the west? Yes, many did settle in the West with. Moses Williams as an example. Okay. Because they got out here and saw that it was more open frontier. There were more opportunities, obviously wide open land, and there were opportunities for them to settle. And many did. Many did. I don't have a particular story outside of Moses Williams that comes to mind. But many did settle out west and some of the first national parks were opened out West. And the Buffalo soldiers were actually enlisted to be the first Park Rangers. Okay. Yeah, that's, I've heard that before. So they were the first park rangers and. They did everything from building telegraph lines, protecting railroads, wagon trains, mail stage coaches, supply routes. They did a lot to make sure that the US made it. To the Pacific Ocean Pacific. Mm, and so when, interesting. So when their time starts slowing down, they end up becoming what amounts to the first Park Rangers. So that was my other question. What is the trajectory after they retire from the military? What is the trajectory of their life? What happens? A lot of'em ran back into the US and regularly how it is, and they weren't able to get footing. Things were done at the government level, at the DOD level to keep them from being able to collect retirements. Hmm. From keeping them from having access to what they fought to earn. Yeah. And. Unfortunately, that was commonplace back then, and so I think that's also another contributing factor to why a lot of their stories didn't get out is because. They were at the end. Some of them were dishonorably discharged and they found reasons to discharge'em. There were incidents that would happen. Maybe a, a fight happens in town somewhere and somebody's hurt real bad and they don't wanna blame it on the other person, so they just say, oh, it, well, some of the black troops from the nearby military base that did this to me. Yeah. And so they all, so they go and they get all 180 of them and give'em all dishonorable discharges. Mm. And say you're out the military, you don't get a pension or you don't get anything. So unfortunately that was the the end. Some of'em met, but others did go on to have, do distinctive things. Mm. Yeah. That's, I'm so glad that you guys are telling this story. Where can we find you? So the Seattle International Film Festival is. And their website is, and I don't have it off hand. I could look that up. That's okay. I can link out to it. I'll figure it out. Me myself, I'm part of the Buffalo Soldiers of Seattle, and you can find us at Buffalo soldiers of seattle.com org.org, and it'll give you everything we're doing from events, it'll, it shares some Buffalo Soldiers history and just keeps you up to date what our particular nonprofit is doing. And at our site, you'll find links to, to other, um, buffalo Soldier groups. There's a huge Buffalo Soldier Museum in Houston, Texas. There's a Buffalo Soldier Museum here in Tacoma, Washington. And I personally also do a podcast with some of my retired military buddies, and it's called All That Ish. And as, so all that ish. All that ish. So you're not cussing. And we talk about all sorts of current events. And just life stuff. It's, it's a group of guys, so it's kind of like a, it has a man cave feel, but we talk about everything from, and we're, and we're all African American, so we talk about issues that face the African American community. We talk about Will Smith's slapping Chris Rock. Oh Jesus. We've even talked about the Buffalo soldiers on there. Oh, good. And we talk about our own military life and combat life and experiences. So it's a way that we bring our black experience as military members out to the public as well. Oh, that's cool. I'll have to find it. Did I not, is there anything that I didn't ask you that you wanted to share with my audience? Not exactly because there's so many questions that could probably be asked. I know that black cowboys are hot right now. It's like a hot. Thing. There was that Old Town Road song that came out a few years back that was classified as a country song, and it's one of the most popular singles of all time. And so that helped. There's been documentaries that have come out about black cowboys. There's been movies that have come out about black cowboys, so people are interested in blacks on horseback because in many ways that was like a thing that became. Denied it. Yeah, it was like the swimming pool or the water fountain or the restroom, or horses. There's stereotypes that exist that like black men don't ride horses and. I'm here to tell you we do we write'em and we write'em very well, and we happen to write'em in old uniforms and old saddles and represent the people that did that over 150 years ago. So it's, there's so much I'd love to talk with you about. But there's only so many hours in the day. Yeah. But I, I'll tell you that for the Buffalo Soldiers of Seattle, it was our honor and in many ways, our duty to participate in this documentary. And we are very aware of. The legacy that we're part of preserving, and we take that very serious. We have a lot of fun while we do it, but we take that very serious and it was our honor and privilege to have the opportunity to. Be flag bearers and baton holders for the American community. I, I was gonna say the African American community, but really the American community in keeping our history alive. Because you know, if we don't know the history, we're doomed to repeat it. It is a cliche, but it's a cliche because it's fairly true. Oh, it's true. And, and when people see us. Today it's 2022. Right now, when people see us, we are always greeted with the most wild, raucous applause. I don't care if it's kindergartners, I don't care if it's middle school kids. People at universities Mardi Gras parades when we're out there. I, I'm getting the hairs on my arm are standing up. You can't see'em. Mine too. Yeah. When we're out there, the people absolutely love us and that lets me know that we're doing a good enough job and hopefully we make our, um, the people that came before us proud. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I am so grateful that you're telling this story. I can't say that enough. I really would like to find out more about how to bring it to. Our school here in town. And also I saw something about if you're interested in a screening, how do I bring it to our cultural arts program? Because we do have movies occasionally, and this is the kind of movie that I feel like we would wanna share with our community. Thank you for being here, Nick. I really enjoyed talking to you, Annie. Thank you so much for having me and allowing me to share with you. That's our Black History Month. Rewind on the Buffalo Soldiers, and if there's one takeaway to hold onto, it's this history isn't just what happened. It's what we choose to remember. The story of the Buffalo Soldiers matters because it forces us to sit with complexity. Black Americans serving with courage and discipline, building lives and legacies in the aftermath of slavery, and doing it while confronting racism inside the very institutions they were asked to defend. Their service shaped the west, shaped the US army and shaped generations of black leadership and resistance, even when the nation tried to write them into the margins. If this episode sparks something in you, share it with a friend, leave a review, or send it to someone who loves history but hasn't heard this story told in full. And if you're joining us for the Black History Month Rewind series, stay tuned. More essential episodes are coming. I'm Anne Marie Cannon, and this is Armchair Historians. Until next time, keep asking whose story got left out. Thanks for spending time with me on Armchair Historians. If you enjoyed this episode, the easiest way to support the show is to follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode. And if you can leave a rating or review or share the episode with a friend who loves history. You will find my website and links to everything we discussed in the show notes, along with ways to support the show more directly, whether that's joining the community, supporting financially, or simply helping more listeners to discover the podcast. And don't forget. The show notes also include a free short story download that introduces readers to bedlam from my soon to be released historical fiction series. Until next time, keep asking questions because history is anything but finished.