Sgt Jarvis V Rosier podcast - Risky Benefits S6E1

In this episode, we interviews retired US Army Sergeant Major Jarvis Rosier, Director of the Colored Troops Education Project and president of the 2nd Infantry Regiment, USCT Living History Association. Sgt. Rosier describes joining the Army at 17 in 1975, serving and completing 34 years active and reserve service before retiring in 2009. He explains his leadership philosophy as soldier-focused, earning trust by leading, and knowing your people. Sgt. Rosier details founding a USCT living history unit in Tallahassee through the Riley House Museum to preserve and teach overlooked Civil War history, including Florida battles involving USCT, and recounts the March 1865 Battle of Natural Bridge and its casualties.

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Transcript

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Hey everyone. Thank you for listening to Risky Benefits. Today. We are honored to be joined by a man whose commitment to preserving history is as remarkable as his own service. Please welcome Sergeant Major Jarvis Roher, senior US Army retired and Director of the Colored Troops Education Project, and president of the Second Infantry Regiment, USCT. Living History Association, Sergeant Major Ro, thank you for being here today. Thank you. Glad to be here. We're happy to have you. And, um, I guess getting into this conversation, um, let's just start at the beginning, if you don't mind. Uh, you served 34 years in the US Army, um, which is. Obviously a lot of career dedication. Um, so thank you for your service and, um, maybe if you could just share a bit about your journey in the military and what it inspired you to serve. Um, well I joined the military right outta high school. Um, that's been a, um. Thing that goes with my family, with, uh, rich history and military service. Um, my father and grandfather served in World War ii. Um, uh, my eight brothers, seven of us served in the military, uh, army, air Force, Marines as well. Um, military has just been part of my family for quite some time. I have an uncle that's a. Pearl Harbor survivor. Wow. I have an uncle that, uh, that was a pearl, uh, Korean war survivor that lost both of his leg because he was a prisoner of war, and then he left him out in the snow. So, uh, military just embedded in my family there. And I joined right out of high school, uh, at the age of 17, and I joined and went to Fort Jackson basic training. Um, did a tour in Germany, came back, did a tour here in, in the United States, and I did 34 years active and reserve. So altogether, active and reserve military service. I retired in 2009 after 34 years of service. That's awesome. Uh, where, where did you end up going for basic, if you don't mind me asking? I did basic at Fort Jackson, uh, South Carolina. This was the old basic school. Nothing like they're doing now. It was just like, you know, we pushed up buildings, you know, pull Telegram, but we did a lot of things we can't talk about right now. But, um, I did basic training at Fort Jackson, Charlie three, one, Charlie Company three one. Tank Hill, they called it there. I think they have a old barracks that was up there. They were old World War II barracks back then. That time I went in, in 75, so, you know, um, and they had the, they think they got one that's still a replica now, but everything else is modernized. But I did basic training at Fort Jackson and, uh, a IT with advanced individual training at Fort Seal, Oklahoma. I went in as a field artillery. Okay. And the first for four years. In the last 29 years, I did as a military police. Okay. Mm-hmm. So I can't help but wonder just with the family background that you had going into basic mm-hmm. How much of a rude awakening was it for you going into basic versus how much of it was like, I know this, you know, or, or was it just completely. Uh, just an out of the world experience from what you grew up with. It was, um, it was a rude awakening. Okay. Um, um, an experience, um, well, like the military has always been in my family. My father's military and my older brothers were military. Actually, I was the last one brother to go into the military, so I got a taste of that with them, you know, discipline here and discipline there and, and the character that, uh, military, um. Provides for you and gives you an opportunity to, uh, be a part of. So I had a little bit of taste of that around the home site before I got in. Nothing like when I got there, though, it was totally different. The rude awakening. Yeah. For about eight weeks. Okay. Yeah. Well, and I'm sure that leadership overall is such a broad subject, but your time in uniform had to have shaped you and taught you a lot of lessons along the way, becoming, you know, a sergeant major. Can you tell us a little bit about that or if there's any specific things that you could share with our listeners? Um, well, my leadership style, um, over the years. Evolved, um, with different positions that I was in. Um, I guess I'll start with, um, when I was in Germany, I became a section chief of the arterial unit there, and we were, um, always practicing at the full, the gap we called it there. Um, if they, that was during the Cold War, things that had happened. We had three days to survive, you know, before the forces came from the co, from the states and other allied countries. But, uh, it taught me a little bit about, um. Letting everyone know where we are and how we are, how we got to where we are, and the results of us doing what we should be doing to get to where we want to be, to get back home. So, um, when I went to Afghanistan, I took a battalion over to Afghanistan, uh, trained there for three months there, two months, two and a half months at Fort Benning. Uh, and the training there was, was, was, was tough, but it was meant to be tough because letting these. Individuals, which were basically reserved units that weren't active all the time. A lot of reserves, soldiers. So I kinda let them know it was a little tough, but my leadership style was, be prepared now so you be prepared later. You know, be prepared now so he can come back home. So, um, and then I think once we got the Afghanistan, they understood the training, they understood the leadership that I was trying to give'em. It was a little harsh, you know, a little forthcoming, but, um, when that first round landed, they understood and they appreciated per sergeant. Job. I was the first sergeant when I went to Afghanistan. They appreciated the training. So I taught about lead. My leadership is not a lot of people will use leadership to gain friendship, but you gain friendship by being a leader. You know, you don't

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don't

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make friends and be a leader. You be a leader and make friends. They appreciate your, your life. Not everyone, but those that, uh, will appreciate it, especially in a combat situation. We always train for combat. Yeah.

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Yeah, for combat.

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Wow. Thank you for sharing. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Could, could we just elaborate? It is such a important, within the realm of business leadership is obviously a huge thing for us, um, and, and, and being a good leader or trying to serve others in the right ways. I'm, I'm just curious from your perspective with all the experience you have. You, you there were, there were most likely, more than likely, there were leaders you liked and there were leaders that you just didn't like. And um, I'm curious, you know, if you'd share with us, what was it about the ones that you liked that really inspired you to want to be more like them? Or what was it in the ones that you didn't like that really changed who you became as a leader? Uh. Well, the one that I, I would say didn't like that I didn't care so much for, uh, didn't like their leadership style was more so about themselves and not the soldiers. Okay. Be a leader is, you know how to lead. You have to be able to be a follower, know how to follow, to be a leader. You have to know how to follow. And then the, uh, leadership style that I took from those. And that I had to follow as far as leadership, I can understood that they were more, uh, leaders of troops or were they leaders of their position to the next position that they could be in. So, um, that leadership style is what I adapted as far as, you know, being a, you know, how to be a follower, to be a leader, you have to know how to be a follower to be a leader because you're follow, you're leading followers. Mm-hmm. So my leadership style was they adapted those that, um, had more interest in the troops. Though that they were leading more so than those that they were, um, the next step that they could be when I became Sergeant Major. Um, Sergeant Major is the highest ranking you can become. It's a non-commissioned officer. Um, and after that I thought, well, if I'm a sergeant major in E nine, there is no E 10. Yeah. So, you know, everything I do now is for the soldiers. So that was the leadership that I understood and the leadership that I followed in the leadership that I would take. But other than those that were thinking of themselves more so than thinking of the soldier that they lead. Yeah. So it's almost like it, it, to kind of repeat back kind of what I'm hearing you saying, or, or maybe a major takeaway for people is, um, if you're truly serving those around you, people are gonna want to follow that type of a person. But if you're truly self-serving. And really your objectives just to climb, say a corporate ladder. People are gonna perceive that. I can see that. They'll know that. And then, um, they'll respond to that as well. When they'll respond to it. They see that you're self-serving. Oh, hoo-ha. Okay, whatever. We'll get it done. But they serve that they're serving you. Um, they'll, they'll go through a wall for you. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Were there, were there things that you found were really effective at just helping people feel. Better served. When you were leading people, were there certain things in particular that you found yourself doing that you're like, man, this really resonates with people. They really like this. As a leader, when I do this, what, what, what might you say? If I'm answering your question correctly? You get to know your, your, your people. You're leading. You get to know them. A lot of times you get to know their background. A lot of times they've never been led before. Mm-hmm. They've never been in the position that they're in right now. So I guess the biggest thing was to get to know. Who you're leading, you get to know your audience and, and military also being like, you know, get to know your, your, um, subordinates. I would say, uh, those that you're, uh, that you're asking to follow, get to know them, they get to know their background, their, um, their ups and down their goods and bad, their high points and low points and their skills as far as, um, what you're asking them to do. Yeah. That's cool. Thanks for sharing. Yeah. Um, how did, how did your, you know, the, the leadership that we're really kind of delving into, um, and your military leadership experience, how did that prepare you for your civilian kind of work today and non civilian work today, say with the Color Troops Education Project? How, how did that set you up for where you are now? Well, the way I got involved with that, um. Before I, I was in that reserve at sometimes I was back home. I'm a native Tallahassee. I've been here all my life, so I've been back and forth here. Um, and I did a program, um, a marker laying for the John Gill Moral Riley Center in Math, American Culture here in Tallahassee. And Miss Alese Bonds was the, the executive director emeritus now. Um, she realized and noticed that I had retired. I thought I retired. Famous last words. Yeah, she thought that I retired. So I went by a talk with her. She asked that I put together an African American regiment that actually fought at the Battle of Natural Bridge. So my, my military history, as far that goes in leadership, I put together the organization, second Infantry Regiment, USCT, living History Association, United USCT, United States Color Truth. Um. That experience in my military helped me to, um, do the job that I was tasked to do, as well as become the education project director for the United States Color of Troops for the museum and the Civil Civil War heritage. Um. Preservation network director for the museum as far as the, uh, Florida African American Heritage Preservation Network, a conglomerate of 32 Museum, African American Museum throughout the state. I'm their, um, civil War heritage coordinator for them as well through the, the Raleigh House, which is the, uh, the home base for the um. Far from what they called it. So that military expense helped me. It kind of just moved right into what I was doing, um, and a little different what we're doing now because, um, what I'm reenacting and doing with the second infantry regiment, USCT is totally different from what Army 1865 is to. To today. So that was a little transition, but, you know, it was, it was okay to do so, and I've enjoyed it. Um, it helps when you enjoy, you have a passion for what you're doing. And the passion I have for what I'm doing now, more or less is because a lot of the history that I, I work with and, and, and project a lot of the history is not in our history books. A lot of it's kind of glossed over and some of it's being disappear even more and more. Um, my mission with the unit was to preserve, protect, promote, educate, and interpret the accomplishments of the many African Americans that fought during the Civil War. Okay. People aren't aware of that, over 209,000. So, um, my military experience and. Leadership in that was helped me to form the organization that we've been 15 years now and doing the mini battle, not natural build, battle of natural bridge. What I do is I like to put a real face on the battlefield, is what I call it. The reenactment battle that we do are those actual battles where African Americans were also always involved in that battle or whatever. So it's a lot of stories to tell. A lot of people aren't aware. Over 17 battles in the state of Florida during the Civil War where I fought with the United States College of Troops. I mean, I'm, I'm fascinated by this. I'm kind of wanting to dig in a little more. I'm like, so where do you do the reenactments at? Well, we do. Is that a future question? Yeah. Forgive me. I got more. Hold on. Let's get that one. You're good. Here's another question I have. Where are the museums at? Where are the museum? Are they just throughout the state of Florida or are they throughout the country? Uh, the one that we're, I'm, they're throughout the country. Yeah. Okay. But they're 32. And throughout the state of Florida? Just in Florida. Alone. Just in Florida. So Matt, um, sorry. Service at, um, a field that Madison to the Riley house. Mm-hmm. So that's what, that's what promoted all this. But that Riley house is just in downtown. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. It is downtown four 19 East Jefferson Street. Super cool. It's a house that was built by Mr. John Gilmore Riley. He was born in slavery but died a millionaire. He became a landowner, an educator, and to build the houses, uh, the original house there. Four 19 East Jefferson Street. A lot of people aren't aware that the museum is there and I like the program where they would one year each year we have all the fourth graders in Leon County come through the museum and get the history of the John Gilmore Riley Museum and we get a chance to give them the history and living history form. We present history and living history form, you know, we wear the uniforms, we have the equipment, the weaponry, and we looked the part because of the African American descent that. Fault for the United States College of Troops. So it's a good education project and I like it'cause I see kids that come up to me later on and say, I remember you from museum, I mean, and college students, you know, that have been there for some time. We've been doing it about 15 years now. So, uh, it's exciting to do. I feel like growing up. And, you know, you'd watch the movie Glory. Mm-hmm. And I don't know how historically I, it's a movie, right? It, it was great movie and I loved it. I thought Denzel Washington killed it, but I never, you know, you obviously know like Okay. How factual and how it was, it was. Pretty factual, um, theatrical. That's fine. Okay. It was a movie. Okay. Um, but it did portray the, um, 54th regiment, United States Color Truth outta Massachusetts. Um, one of the first major battles, I would say at Fort Wagner, um, William Carney, um, was in one of the first, the first black African American to get an um. Medal of Honor. Uh, it was, he was portrayed as been kicking up the flag. Denzel, well, I think Denzel Washington played him. Um, so it was pretty factual. Um, it was the first time I called it the glory years because. When that movie came out in 97, I think, um, that was the first time a lot of people were aware that African Americans actually fought during the Civil War regiments over 175 regiments by the end of the, um, artillery infantry calvary. Um, this first time that I called the. Glory years. And then reenactments were pretty big back then. Yeah. They kind of grew and then they kind of faded a lot. Mm-hmm. Now, so actually we're the only reenactment unit, uh, in the state of Florida and pretty much in the southeast right now. They're doing what we're still doing. Okay. But reenact battles not. We don't get ahead of it, but, you know, civil war battle that happened throughout the state of Florida. Um, some are battles, some they call skirmishes. It depend on a battle is won by a lot of casualties as well. But, um, how much cotton you got confiscated and all kind of things, you know? Okay. Animals and stuff like that. We look at it. Okay. Why do you think they're kind of fading away? Uh, they're fading away because of people just a lot of. It's, it's sometimes the people just don't take the interest in it anymore. Mm-hmm. Um, and then when the big controversy about the confederate flag came about, a lot of people wanting didn't wanna be around the environment, you know, of that time, but, you know, history is what it is. You know, it, it happened when it happened, how it happened, who it happened to, and the results of what happened. But, um, it's a part of history that's not, I don't wanna say, um, fashionable or famous. Whatever, but it's a part of history that's a dire part of history that, but it's a great part of history that had to happen because it, um, helped the end interior of slavery brought about the 13th, I mean the, um, sign of the Emancipation Proclamation and then the 13th Amendment to the Constitution and things of that 14th and 15th the reconstruction amendments had called. So that's a little bit more all highly relevant. Yeah, it, it's interesting to Kyla's question. I, I spent a lot of time in Northern Virginia as a kid. So you're near Manassas, you're near a lot of these battlefields. Mm-hmm. And there I grew up going to a lot of these reenactments. Mm-hmm. Okay. But in those areas, it's, it's like this known thing because you're driving around on your way to. The grocery store, you're driving around a battlefield that's still marked off as such. Mm-hmm. Right. It's got the old wooden kind of fences that were, you know, I don't know how long they'd been there, if they were rebuilt, but they look like they were there during the Civil War. They're that old, and it's so, it's very relevant in your mind. This was a battlefield. Mm-hmm. And I'm just thinking about how many times I've driven across the sea of Florida. And nothing like that exists like it does up there. So at least I, not that I recall seeing, so like in my head. Mm-hmm. Yeah. I don't, I don't place in my head when I'm in Northern Virginia. I think Manassas, I think, you know, all of these different locations when I'm in Florida, I, I don't, I don't think that way. Yeah. I think, I think Seminole Indian tribe, you know what I'm saying? Yeah, I got you. And, and that's interesting because I mean, there's 30, 33. Museums. 32 museums. Yeah, 32 museums in the state of Florida. Clearly, quite, quite a few. Battles fought within the state of Florida. Yeah. The museums, not all of those were battles fought there. Like the battle of natural bridge. Unless you go down to Woodville, you wouldn't and take the road all the way down into the park. You wouldn't know that that was a battlefield. That's interesting. And some of the others, like Virginia, uh, Florida was kind of called the, uh, forgotten. You know, Confederate State, okay. Because there weren't that many battles in the state of Florida, like Virginia and, uh, Gettysburg and, and all the other places. Manasas, NEWBA Heights. Um, you, you'll travel down the highway and you may see a marker. That said, that's it. That was it. You don't see the pin picket fence. You don't. That's right. See the, the, the, um, that's right. The material that was there. They kind of read their revitalize or whatever, but, uh, there were actually 17 battles in the state of Florida that African Americans actually fought in. That's wild. Um, skirmishes and battles. Um, ball, natural bridge Ball lu was the largest battle. Okay. Ball then the ball of natural bridge and the ball of Mariana and the ball. Mariana was fought right there on Highway nine. What is Howard 90 now? Right there downtown Marianna. So there's nothing but a marker there right next to the courthouse. So you don't see it like you do in the northern areas where a lot of the boat battles will. Yeah, yeah. That's so interesting. Visible. Yeah. Yeah. So your work includes reenacting historic battles, like the Battle of Natural Bridge, uh, a fight in Florida during the Civil War fought in March of 1865. We have it involving the second and 99th. US Colored infantry regiments. Mm-hmm. Can you paint the picture for our listeners, you know, what happened at Natural Bridge and, and why is it such an important story to retell? The Battle of Natural Bridge actually happened about three to four weeks before the end of the Civil War, before generally surrendered at Appomattox in Virginia, uh, to General Grant, March 6th, 1865. Um. They were the second infantry regiment, USCT in the 99th United States Color of Truth, the nine ninth U United States Color of Truth. That was their first battle. Um, there were actually the, um, 15th, um. Afri, which was a free African Americans in New Orleans. They were in, they were engineering unit. They, they just made them an infantry unit to join the army of the Gulf. Um, just a little history of the, uh, second year CT was formed up in Maryland. Okay. In Maryland area. Came down to join the army of the Gulf. In Fort, um, key West, uh, Fort Taylor worked their way up. They heard about, uh, ambush Cedar Key and at Tampa, and the forces came up that a floura ships all the way up to St. Mark's embarked at St. Mark's. Um, and March, actually 16 miles. Through the swamps to the Battle of Natural Bridge in gated demo and all of that. I was gonna say how, I mean, how many of them started versus how many of them made it Goodness. Well, they made it. That's crazy. They were wounded on their way, but they made it, uh, it trek through the swamp pulling cannons, you know? Oh God. I can't even imagine. Yeah. How long did it take'em? Uh, they came in in one day. They came in that morning. They came in actually, um, when they came in with the ship for Tour of Ships, the Honduras, the Mayflower, not the Mayflower, Magno Air, and they got, got bogged in because of the fog. And they ran ashore. So they had to kind of come back out and by that time, the Confederate forces had got here that they were there. So they were able to set up Port and Breastworks. They called'em. So then they came back in and they marched through the swamp all the way up to where was East Point where the Confederates had burnt the bridge and they were gonna come across. To come up, so they had to go up further. A lot of people aren't aware of how the name Natural Bridge got its name, natural Bridge. They were told that there was a more, they go up along the river again, they will find a crossing. Of land where the river went up under the land, which made a natural bridge, that's why it's called natural bridge. So they marched up there, came across that natural bridge and engaged the confederate forces who were already dug in. Um, they were had about four, four battles and they were kind of insurmountable as far as penetrating the Confederate. So it was a Confederate victory. And, um, they gave them the, uh, the, uh, the name that said that that was the only. City capital east of Mississippi that wasn't captured during the Civil War by the Union. So it was a one day battle, uh, 148 casualties, 21, um, casualty USCT soldiers were lost. Uh, 38 captured a missing, and then that's where the kind of history. Disappears as far as what happened and things of that nature there. But that was a battle fought with the second in USCT and the 99 2 African American regiment that actually felt that battle. And the regiment that I represent, we do reenactments, is several battles that they did the battle of, um. Um, down in Fort Myers, down in Tampa, uh, St. Andrew's Bay. Um, so different battle that they've probably to reenact those battles and others. We've been, as far as up in Georgia and South Carolina, reenacting battles as well. Not as many as we normally do. We have been doing, I like to tell the story more so it's good to see us on the battlefield. But it's even better when we can teach it in talking in living history like we did with the kids and Thanksgiving. Over short, they got a little piece of it. But, um, like now it's, it's better to tell the story. We reenact it put a real face on the battlefield, but it's good to tell the story. Um. Deeper and the involvement of the, uh, over 209,000 African American that fought on the Civil War by the end of the Civil War, 68,000 had lost their lives over 35,000 from Battlefield and, um, and a lot of diseases down in Florida and along the coastline and thing of that nature there. So, but it's, um, maybe a little more than you asked, but this is great. Yeah. Yeah. It's, uh, I got a follow on. I'm just sitting here, Sergeant Major Wood. I mean, strategically, a lot of times when you hear about these units, right, and it's like, okay, they were successful. Mm-hmm. Why? What do you think it was, I mean, you, you've been studying these, these guys for years, over a decade, you know, in your, I'm curious from your perspective, what made them so successful? I'm imagining. My family lived in Maryland. They live in Northern Virginia. Now I know the area very well. Mm-hmm. I'm imagining coming from that area and being put into the swamps of, and just like that is a rude awakening of, of just difference of where you're from. And I'm just thinking about the first time I have buddies who, the first time they saw a snake mm-hmm. And they're like, uh, where, where am I? You know what I mean? Now you're walking, you're, and, and we go down there with the kids. There are gators everywhere. Moccasins, gators, moccasins. Gators, uh, mosquitoes sitting here processing this, and I'm like. Talk to us, like what made these guys so successful, uh, especially when they were clearly put into a world that was just foreign to where they had just come from. Yeah. A lot of the USCT forces were made up of free men, free black men, and a lot of them that were, uh, enslaved that a lot of the battle that were fought. Um, like the Ball, Mara Bridge was not so much, but the ball, Mariana, they, they, uh, emancipated over 600 slaves. Okay. And a lot of them joined the military as well, so a lot of them had a lot more to fight for. Okay. Than the white Brothern did. Yeah. Okay. Uh, they were not only when they were allowed to fight after the Emancipation Proclamation, they allowed a barrel armed to join the military and the, uh, war document of 1863 in May. Which allowed the African American to join the military, they were able to not only, you know, to be. Able to fight, but they were able to fight to end healthy end of slavery. You know, the war didn't start, they said it didn't start because of slavery. But the, uh, 60 of the states that, uh, seceded from the union, you asked, well, what were your seceding for? Was it for taxes or for state's rights? And we say were state's rights, where the state's rights were to own slaves. So that was the reason many of'em fought, not only knowing when they went to battle that they may not ever come back to see their family, but they thought it was worth fighting for their family's freedom. Um, in the free in the force. So they had a, a knack, a, a, a zeal for fighting and going through what they did because they knew there was no turning back to what they had before. They wanted to make sure that they went back, they went back free. So, uh, and then that a lot of'em knew that they weren't gonna, weren't gonna make it. Um, like you've seen the battle of, um. Um, you see the movie Glory, right? Um, when they did the campfire and they did the prayers and the singing and things of that nature there, they did that because they knew that they were fighting for more than just what they're doing. They're fighting for freedom for others.

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You. All right. So I'm gonna read through

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The intro. We'll do the intro and then we'll just get into the questions. If something feels awkward and you wanna stop, just that's fine. Just let us know and then we'll just keep going and then we can cut out after the fact. Mm-hmm. Yeah, it's not live so I can post it anywhere as we see it. And it's Sergeant Major Jarvis, and I just wanna say the last name correctly'cause Rodier. Rodier. Okay. Alright, here we go. Hey everyone. Thank you for listening to Risky Benefits. Today. We are honored to be joined by a man whose commitment to preserving history is as remarkable as his own service. Please welcome Sergeant Major Jarvis Roher, senior US Army retired and Director of the Colored Troops Education Project, and president of the Second Infantry Regiment, USCT. Living History Association, Sergeant Major Ro, thank you for being here today. Thank you. Glad to be here. We're happy to have you. And, um, I guess getting into this conversation, um, let's just start at the beginning, if you don't mind. Uh, you served 34 years in the US Army, um, which is. Obviously a lot of career dedication. Um, so thank you for your service and, um, maybe if you could just share a bit about your journey in the military and what it inspired you to serve. Um, well I joined the military right outta high school. Um, that's been a, um. Thing that goes with my family, with, uh, rich history and military service. Um, my father and grandfather served in World War ii. Um, uh, my eight brothers, seven of us served in the military, uh, army, air Force, Marines as well. Um, military has just been part of my family for quite some time. I have an uncle that's a. Pearl Harbor survivor. Wow. I have an uncle that, uh, that was a pearl, uh, Korean war survivor that lost both of his leg because he was a prisoner of war, and then he left him out in the snow. So, uh, military just embedded in my family there. And I joined right out of high school, uh, at the age of 17, and I joined and went to Fort Jackson basic training. Um, did a tour in Germany, came back, did a tour here in, in the United States, and I did 34 years active and reserve. So altogether, active and reserve military service. I retired in 2009 after 34 years of service. That's awesome. Uh, where, where did you end up going for basic, if you don't mind me asking? I did basic at Fort Jackson, uh, South Carolina. This was the old basic school. Nothing like they're doing now. It was just like, you know, we pushed up buildings, you know, pull Telegram, but we did a lot of things we can't talk about right now. But, um, I did basic training at Fort Jackson, Charlie three, one, Charlie Company three one. Tank Hill, they called it there. I think they have a old barracks that was up there. They were old World War II barracks back then. That time I went in, in 75, so, you know, um, and they had the, they think they got one that's still a replica now, but everything else is modernized. But I did basic training at Fort Jackson and, uh, a IT with advanced individual training at Fort Seal, Oklahoma. I went in as a field artillery. Okay. And the first for four years. In the last 29 years, I did as a military police. Okay. Mm-hmm. So I can't help but wonder just with the family background that you had going into basic mm-hmm. How much of a rude awakening was it for you going into basic versus how much of it was like, I know this, you know, or, or was it just completely. Uh, just an out of the world experience from what you grew up with. It was, um, it was a rude awakening. Okay. Um, um, an experience, um, well, like the military has always been in my family. My father's military and my older brothers were military. Actually, I was the last one brother to go into the military, so I got a taste of that with them, you know, discipline here and discipline there and, and the character that, uh, military, um. Provides for you and gives you an opportunity to, uh, be a part of. So I had a little bit of taste of that around the home site before I got in. Nothing like when I got there, though, it was totally different. The rude awakening. Yeah. For about eight weeks. Okay. Yeah. Well, and I'm sure that leadership overall is such a broad subject, but your time in uniform had to have shaped you and taught you a lot of lessons along the way, becoming, you know, a sergeant major. Can you tell us a little bit about that or if there's any specific things that you could share with our listeners? Um, well, my leadership style, um, over the years. Evolved, um, with different positions that I was in. Um, I guess I'll start with, um, when I was in Germany, I became a section chief of the arterial unit there, and we were, um, always practicing at the full, the gap we called it there. Um, if they, that was during the Cold War, things that had happened. We had three days to survive, you know, before the forces came from the co, from the states and other allied countries. But, uh, it taught me a little bit about, um. Letting everyone know where we are and how we are, how we got to where we are, and the results of us doing what we should be doing to get to where we want to be, to get back home. So, um, when I went to Afghanistan, I took a battalion over to Afghanistan, uh, trained there for three months there, two months, two and a half months at Fort Benning. Uh, and the training there was, was, was, was tough, but it was meant to be tough because letting these. Individuals, which were basically reserved units that weren't active all the time. A lot of reserves, soldiers. So I kinda let them know it was a little tough, but my leadership style was, be prepared now so you be prepared later. You know, be prepared now so he can come back home. So, um, and then I think once we got the Afghanistan, they understood the training, they understood the leadership that I was trying to give'em. It was a little harsh, you know, a little forthcoming, but, um, when that first round landed, they understood and they appreciated per sergeant. Job. I was the first sergeant when I went to Afghanistan. They appreciated the training. So I taught about lead. My leadership is not a lot of people will use leadership to gain friendship, but you gain friendship by being a leader. You know, you don't

sgt-jarvis-v-rosier_1_02-23-2026_121021 33:35

don't

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make friends and be a leader. You be a leader and make friends. They appreciate your, your life. Not everyone, but those that, uh, will appreciate it, especially in a combat situation. We always train for combat. Yeah.

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Yeah, for combat.

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Wow. Thank you for sharing. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Could, could we just elaborate? It is such a important, within the realm of business leadership is obviously a huge thing for us, um, and, and, and being a good leader or trying to serve others in the right ways. I'm, I'm just curious from your perspective with all the experience you have. You, you there were, there were most likely, more than likely, there were leaders you liked and there were leaders that you just didn't like. And um, I'm curious, you know, if you'd share with us, what was it about the ones that you liked that really inspired you to want to be more like them? Or what was it in the ones that you didn't like that really changed who you became as a leader? Uh. Well, the one that I, I would say didn't like that I didn't care so much for, uh, didn't like their leadership style was more so about themselves and not the soldiers. Okay. Be a leader is, you know how to lead. You have to be able to be a follower, know how to follow, to be a leader. You have to know how to follow. And then the, uh, leadership style that I took from those. And that I had to follow as far as leadership, I can understood that they were more, uh, leaders of troops or were they leaders of their position to the next position that they could be in. So, um, that leadership style is what I adapted as far as, you know, being a, you know, how to be a follower, to be a leader, you have to know how to be a follower to be a leader because you're follow, you're leading followers. Mm-hmm. So my leadership style was they adapted those that, um, had more interest in the troops. Though that they were leading more so than those that they were, um, the next step that they could be when I became Sergeant Major. Um, Sergeant Major is the highest ranking you can become. It's a non-commissioned officer. Um, and after that I thought, well, if I'm a sergeant major in E nine, there is no E 10. Yeah. So, you know, everything I do now is for the soldiers. So that was the leadership that I understood and the leadership that I followed in the leadership that I would take. But other than those that were thinking of themselves more so than thinking of the soldier that they lead. Yeah. So it's almost like it, it, to kind of repeat back kind of what I'm hearing you saying, or, or maybe a major takeaway for people is, um, if you're truly serving those around you, people are gonna want to follow that type of a person. But if you're truly self-serving. And really your objectives just to climb, say a corporate ladder. People are gonna perceive that. I can see that. They'll know that. And then, um, they'll respond to that as well. When they'll respond to it. They see that you're self-serving. Oh, hoo-ha. Okay, whatever. We'll get it done. But they serve that they're serving you. Um, they'll, they'll go through a wall for you. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Were there, were there things that you found were really effective at just helping people feel. Better served. When you were leading people, were there certain things in particular that you found yourself doing that you're like, man, this really resonates with people. They really like this. As a leader, when I do this, what, what, what might you say? If I'm answering your question correctly? You get to know your, your, your people. You're leading. You get to know them. A lot of times you get to know their background. A lot of times they've never been led before. Mm-hmm. They've never been in the position that they're in right now. So I guess the biggest thing was to get to know. Who you're leading, you get to know your audience and, and military also being like, you know, get to know your, your, um, subordinates. I would say, uh, those that you're, uh, that you're asking to follow, get to know them, they get to know their background, their, um, their ups and down their goods and bad, their high points and low points and their skills as far as, um, what you're asking them to do. Yeah. That's cool. Thanks for sharing. Yeah. Um, how did, how did your, you know, the, the leadership that we're really kind of delving into, um, and your military leadership experience, how did that prepare you for your civilian kind of work today and non civilian work today, say with the Color Troops Education Project? How, how did that set you up for where you are now? Well, the way I got involved with that, um. Before I, I was in that reserve at sometimes I was back home. I'm a native Tallahassee. I've been here all my life, so I've been back and forth here. Um, and I did a program, um, a marker laying for the John Gill Moral Riley Center in Math, American Culture here in Tallahassee. And Miss Alese Bonds was the, the executive director emeritus now. Um, she realized and noticed that I had retired. I thought I retired. Famous last words. Yeah, she thought that I retired. So I went by a talk with her. She asked that I put together an African American regiment that actually fought at the Battle of Natural Bridge. So my, my military history, as far that goes in leadership, I put together the organization, second Infantry Regiment, USCT, living History Association, United USCT, United States Color Truth. Um. That experience in my military helped me to, um, do the job that I was tasked to do, as well as become the education project director for the United States Color of Troops for the museum and the Civil Civil War heritage. Um. Preservation network director for the museum as far as the, uh, Florida African American Heritage Preservation Network, a conglomerate of 32 Museum, African American Museum throughout the state. I'm their, um, civil War heritage coordinator for them as well through the, the Raleigh House, which is the, uh, the home base for the um. Far from what they called it. So that military expense helped me. It kind of just moved right into what I was doing, um, and a little different what we're doing now because, um, what I'm reenacting and doing with the second infantry regiment, USCT is totally different from what Army 1865 is to. To today. So that was a little transition, but, you know, it was, it was okay to do so, and I've enjoyed it. Um, it helps when you enjoy, you have a passion for what you're doing. And the passion I have for what I'm doing now, more or less is because a lot of the history that I, I work with and, and, and project a lot of the history is not in our history books. A lot of it's kind of glossed over and some of it's being disappear even more and more. Um, my mission with the unit was to preserve, protect, promote, educate, and interpret the accomplishments of the many African Americans that fought during the Civil War. Okay. People aren't aware of that, over 209,000. So, um, my military experience and. Leadership in that was helped me to form the organization that we've been 15 years now and doing the mini battle, not natural build, battle of natural bridge. What I do is I like to put a real face on the battlefield, is what I call it. The reenactment battle that we do are those actual battles where African Americans were also always involved in that battle or whatever. So it's a lot of stories to tell. A lot of people aren't aware. Over 17 battles in the state of Florida during the Civil War where I fought with the United States College of Troops. I mean, I'm, I'm fascinated by this. I'm kind of wanting to dig in a little more. I'm like, so where do you do the reenactments at? Well, we do. Is that a future question? Yeah. Forgive me. I got more. Hold on. Let's get that one. You're good. Here's another question I have. Where are the museums at? Where are the museum? Are they just throughout the state of Florida or are they throughout the country? Uh, the one that we're, I'm, they're throughout the country. Yeah. Okay. But they're 32. And throughout the state of Florida? Just in Florida. Alone. Just in Florida. So Matt, um, sorry. Service at, um, a field that Madison to the Riley house. Mm-hmm. So that's what, that's what promoted all this. But that Riley house is just in downtown. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. It is downtown four 19 East Jefferson Street. Super cool. It's a house that was built by Mr. John Gilmore Riley. He was born in slavery but died a millionaire. He became a landowner, an educator, and to build the houses, uh, the original house there. Four 19 East Jefferson Street. A lot of people aren't aware that the museum is there and I like the program where they would one year each year we have all the fourth graders in Leon County come through the museum and get the history of the John Gilmore Riley Museum and we get a chance to give them the history and living history form. We present history and living history form, you know, we wear the uniforms, we have the equipment, the weaponry, and we looked the part because of the African American descent that. Fault for the United States College of Troops. So it's a good education project and I like it'cause I see kids that come up to me later on and say, I remember you from museum, I mean, and college students, you know, that have been there for some time. We've been doing it about 15 years now. So, uh, it's exciting to do. I feel like growing up. And, you know, you'd watch the movie Glory. Mm-hmm. And I don't know how historically I, it's a movie, right? It, it was great movie and I loved it. I thought Denzel Washington killed it, but I never, you know, you obviously know like Okay. How factual and how it was, it was. Pretty factual, um, theatrical. That's fine. Okay. It was a movie. Okay. Um, but it did portray the, um, 54th regiment, United States Color Truth outta Massachusetts. Um, one of the first major battles, I would say at Fort Wagner, um, William Carney, um, was in one of the first, the first black African American to get an um. Medal of Honor. Uh, it was, he was portrayed as been kicking up the flag. Denzel, well, I think Denzel Washington played him. Um, so it was pretty factual. Um, it was the first time I called it the glory years because. When that movie came out in 97, I think, um, that was the first time a lot of people were aware that African Americans actually fought during the Civil War regiments over 175 regiments by the end of the, um, artillery infantry calvary. Um, this first time that I called the. Glory years. And then reenactments were pretty big back then. Yeah. They kind of grew and then they kind of faded a lot. Mm-hmm. Now, so actually we're the only reenactment unit, uh, in the state of Florida and pretty much in the southeast right now. They're doing what we're still doing. Okay. But reenact battles not. We don't get ahead of it, but, you know, civil war battle that happened throughout the state of Florida. Um, some are battles, some they call skirmishes. It depend on a battle is won by a lot of casualties as well. But, um, how much cotton you got confiscated and all kind of things, you know? Okay. Animals and stuff like that. We look at it. Okay. Why do you think they're kind of fading away? Uh, they're fading away because of people just a lot of. It's, it's sometimes the people just don't take the interest in it anymore. Mm-hmm. Um, and then when the big controversy about the confederate flag came about, a lot of people wanting didn't wanna be around the environment, you know, of that time, but, you know, history is what it is. You know, it, it happened when it happened, how it happened, who it happened to, and the results of what happened. But, um, it's a part of history that's not, I don't wanna say, um, fashionable or famous. Whatever, but it's a part of history that's a dire part of history that, but it's a great part of history that had to happen because it, um, helped the end interior of slavery brought about the 13th, I mean the, um, sign of the Emancipation Proclamation and then the 13th Amendment to the Constitution and things of that 14th and 15th the reconstruction amendments had called. So that's a little bit more all highly relevant. Yeah, it, it's interesting to Kyla's question. I, I spent a lot of time in Northern Virginia as a kid. So you're near Manassas, you're near a lot of these battlefields. Mm-hmm. And there I grew up going to a lot of these reenactments. Mm-hmm. Okay. But in those areas, it's, it's like this known thing because you're driving around on your way to. The grocery store, you're driving around a battlefield that's still marked off as such. Mm-hmm. Right. It's got the old wooden kind of fences that were, you know, I don't know how long they'd been there, if they were rebuilt, but they look like they were there during the Civil War. They're that old, and it's so, it's very relevant in your mind. This was a battlefield. Mm-hmm. And I'm just thinking about how many times I've driven across the sea of Florida. And nothing like that exists like it does up there. So at least I, not that I recall seeing, so like in my head. Mm-hmm. Yeah. I don't, I don't place in my head when I'm in Northern Virginia. I think Manassas, I think, you know, all of these different locations when I'm in Florida, I, I don't, I don't think that way. Yeah. I think, I think Seminole Indian tribe, you know what I'm saying? Yeah, I got you. And, and that's interesting because I mean, there's 30, 33. Museums. 32 museums. Yeah, 32 museums in the state of Florida. Clearly, quite, quite a few. Battles fought within the state of Florida. Yeah. The museums, not all of those were battles fought there. Like the battle of natural bridge. Unless you go down to Woodville, you wouldn't and take the road all the way down into the park. You wouldn't know that that was a battlefield. That's interesting. And some of the others, like Virginia, uh, Florida was kind of called the, uh, forgotten. You know, Confederate State, okay. Because there weren't that many battles in the state of Florida, like Virginia and, uh, Gettysburg and, and all the other places. Manasas, NEWBA Heights. Um, you, you'll travel down the highway and you may see a marker. That said, that's it. That was it. You don't see the pin picket fence. You don't. That's right. See the, the, the, um, that's right. The material that was there. They kind of read their revitalize or whatever, but, uh, there were actually 17 battles in the state of Florida that African Americans actually fought in. That's wild. Um, skirmishes and battles. Um, ball, natural bridge Ball lu was the largest battle. Okay. Ball then the ball of natural bridge and the ball of Mariana and the ball. Mariana was fought right there on Highway nine. What is Howard 90 now? Right there downtown Marianna. So there's nothing but a marker there right next to the courthouse. So you don't see it like you do in the northern areas where a lot of the boat battles will. Yeah, yeah. That's so interesting. Visible. Yeah. Yeah. So your work includes reenacting historic battles, like the Battle of Natural Bridge, uh, a fight in Florida during the Civil War fought in March of 1865. We have it involving the second and 99th. US Colored infantry regiments. Mm-hmm. Can you paint the picture for our listeners, you know, what happened at Natural Bridge and, and why is it such an important story to retell? The Battle of Natural Bridge actually happened about three to four weeks before the end of the Civil War, before generally surrendered at Appomattox in Virginia, uh, to General Grant, March 6th, 1865. Um. They were the second infantry regiment, USCT in the 99th United States Color of Truth, the nine ninth U United States Color of Truth. That was their first battle. Um, there were actually the, um, 15th, um. Afri, which was a free African Americans in New Orleans. They were in, they were engineering unit. They, they just made them an infantry unit to join the army of the Gulf. Um, just a little history of the, uh, second year CT was formed up in Maryland. Okay. In Maryland area. Came down to join the army of the Gulf. In Fort, um, key West, uh, Fort Taylor worked their way up. They heard about, uh, ambush Cedar Key and at Tampa, and the forces came up that a floura ships all the way up to St. Mark's embarked at St. Mark's. Um, and March, actually 16 miles. Through the swamps to the Battle of Natural Bridge in gated demo and all of that. I was gonna say how, I mean, how many of them started versus how many of them made it Goodness. Well, they made it. That's crazy. They were wounded on their way, but they made it, uh, it trek through the swamp pulling cannons, you know? Oh God. I can't even imagine. Yeah. How long did it take'em? Uh, they came in in one day. They came in that morning. They came in actually, um, when they came in with the ship for Tour of Ships, the Honduras, the Mayflower, not the Mayflower, Magno Air, and they got, got bogged in because of the fog. And they ran ashore. So they had to kind of come back out and by that time, the Confederate forces had got here that they were there. So they were able to set up Port and Breastworks. They called'em. So then they came back in and they marched through the swamp all the way up to where was East Point where the Confederates had burnt the bridge and they were gonna come across. To come up, so they had to go up further. A lot of people aren't aware of how the name Natural Bridge got its name, natural Bridge. They were told that there was a more, they go up along the river again, they will find a crossing. Of land where the river went up under the land, which made a natural bridge, that's why it's called natural bridge. So they marched up there, came across that natural bridge and engaged the confederate forces who were already dug in. Um, they were had about four, four battles and they were kind of insurmountable as far as penetrating the Confederate. So it was a Confederate victory. And, um, they gave them the, uh, the, uh, the name that said that that was the only. City capital east of Mississippi that wasn't captured during the Civil War by the Union. So it was a one day battle, uh, 148 casualties, 21, um, casualty USCT soldiers were lost. Uh, 38 captured a missing, and then that's where the kind of history. Disappears as far as what happened and things of that nature there. But that was a battle fought with the second in USCT and the 99 2 African American regiment that actually felt that battle. And the regiment that I represent, we do reenactments, is several battles that they did the battle of, um. Um, down in Fort Myers, down in Tampa, uh, St. Andrew's Bay. Um, so different battle that they've probably to reenact those battles and others. We've been, as far as up in Georgia and South Carolina, reenacting battles as well. Not as many as we normally do. We have been doing, I like to tell the story more so it's good to see us on the battlefield. But it's even better when we can teach it in talking in living history like we did with the kids and Thanksgiving. Over short, they got a little piece of it. But, um, like now it's, it's better to tell the story. We reenact it put a real face on the battlefield, but it's good to tell the story. Um. Deeper and the involvement of the, uh, over 209,000 African American that fought on the Civil War by the end of the Civil War, 68,000 had lost their lives over 35,000 from Battlefield and, um, and a lot of diseases down in Florida and along the coastline and thing of that nature there. So, but it's, um, maybe a little more than you asked, but this is great. Yeah. Yeah. It's, uh, I got a follow on. I'm just sitting here, Sergeant Major Wood. I mean, strategically, a lot of times when you hear about these units, right, and it's like, okay, they were successful. Mm-hmm. Why? What do you think it was, I mean, you, you've been studying these, these guys for years, over a decade, you know, in your, I'm curious from your perspective, what made them so successful? I'm imagining. My family lived in Maryland. They live in Northern Virginia. Now I know the area very well. Mm-hmm. I'm imagining coming from that area and being put into the swamps of, and just like that is a rude awakening of, of just difference of where you're from. And I'm just thinking about the first time I have buddies who, the first time they saw a snake mm-hmm. And they're like, uh, where, where am I? You know what I mean? Now you're walking, you're, and, and we go down there with the kids. There are gators everywhere. Moccasins, gators, moccasins. Gators, uh, mosquitoes sitting here processing this, and I'm like. Talk to us, like what made these guys so successful, uh, especially when they were clearly put into a world that was just foreign to where they had just come from. Yeah. A lot of the USCT forces were made up of free men, free black men, and a lot of them that were, uh, enslaved that a lot of the battle that were fought. Um, like the Ball, Mara Bridge was not so much, but the ball, Mariana, they, they, uh, emancipated over 600 slaves. Okay. And a lot of them joined the military as well, so a lot of them had a lot more to fight for. Okay. Than the white Brothern did. Yeah. Okay. Uh, they were not only when they were allowed to fight after the Emancipation Proclamation, they allowed a barrel armed to join the military and the, uh, war document of 1863 in May. Which allowed the African American to join the military, they were able to not only, you know, to be. Able to fight, but they were able to fight to end healthy end of slavery. You know, the war didn't start, they said it didn't start because of slavery. But the, uh, 60 of the states that, uh, seceded from the union, you asked, well, what were your seceding for? Was it for taxes or for state's rights? And we say were state's rights, where the state's rights were to own slaves. So that was the reason many of'em fought, not only knowing when they went to battle that they may not ever come back to see their family, but they thought it was worth fighting for their family's freedom. Um, in the free in the force. So they had a, a knack, a, a, a zeal for fighting and going through what they did because they knew there was no turning back to what they had before. They wanted to make sure that they went back, they went back free. So, uh, and then that a lot of'em knew that they weren't gonna, weren't gonna make it. Um, like you've seen the battle of, um. Um, you see the movie Glory, right? Um, when they did the campfire and they did the prayers and the singing and things of that nature there, they did that because they knew that they were fighting for more than just what they're doing. They're fighting for freedom for others.

55:09

Before we wrap up, we wanna share a quick note. Unfortunately, we experienced some technical difficulties during recording and lost the final portion of this episode. We appreciate your understanding and promise. We'll make it up to you next time. If you're local to Tallahassee, we encourage you to visit the Riley House Museum at four 19 East Jefferson Street. To learn more in person. You can also explore additional information about the Colored Troops Education Project by visiting riley museum.org. Thanks for listening and supporting the conversation. And as always, don't forget to subscribe and follow us on whatever platform you use to listen to your podcast so you never miss an episode.