Several hundred people took time from their Labor Day weekend to attend the 63rd annual Buffalo Soldiers Memorial Ceremony on Buffalo Soldiers Field at West Point on Sunday. The event is a tradition to honor the men of the 9th and 10th Cavalry Units of the U.S. Army.

With a strong showing at the event were not only local descendants of Buffalo Soldiers, including those of the late Sgt. Sanders Matthews, for whom the Buffalo Soldier monument is modeled after, but also by members of the Buffalo Soldiers Association, Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club, American Legion and Blue Knights, and U.S. Military Academy cadets, military police and part of the West Point Band.

“For as surely as we stand here today in the shadow of this statue, so surely do we stand on the shoulders of these soldiers for whom this statue stands,” Rev. Matthew Pawlikowski (Col, Ret) said during his opening prayer. “They served our country so solidly that we moved from rock to monument to acknowledge, honor and promote the memory of all that they did in the past, and all that they inspired now today.”

Hosting the ceremony was Capt. Ashley Mohr from the USMA History Department

“This occasion serves as both a moment of reflection on the valor and resilience of the Buffalo Soldiers and an opportunity to recognize their contributions at West Point and in our country,” Mohr said. “In the wake of the Civil War, Congress formed the 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments and the 24th and 25th Infantry Regiments as the first all-Black Army units in peacetime. These units were later known as the Buffalo Soldiers.”

She explained how at West Point, Buffalo Soldiers were vital to cadet instruction. A 100-man detachment taught riding instruction, mounted drill and tactics to the future officers at West Point until 1947.

“The Buffalo Soldiers were not only integral to the military instruction of the cadets, but they were also symbols of professionalism and excellence in soldiering,” Mohr said. “To learn about their service is to be inspired.”

The guest speaker was Clara Adams-Ender, a retired United States Army Brigadier General who served as Chief of the United States Army Nurse Corps. She received a standing ovation as she took the podium, but kept her remarks brief because she was due to speak again later in the day at a luncheon hosted by the Buffalo Soldiers Association.

“It’s really great to see all of you and to be here today, because I am very confident that the Army is still in good hands,” Adams-Ender said, thanking those who invited her, as well as others do and have served their country.

Following the close of the ceremony, where a firing squad engaged and Taps was played, several members of Indigenous Tribes spoke about the connection between their tribes and African American soldiers. They were introduced by Dr. Aundrea Matthews, president of the Buffalo Soldiers Association, and the granddaughter of the late Sgt. Matthews.