“I am a member of the Buffalo Soldiers. In 1866, after the War Between the States and the slaves were freed, Congress made it official that there could be troops of slaves and former slaves in the the U.S. Army. They formed the 9th and 10th horse calvary and this was the first time in history that a black man could become a part of the United States armed troops. They didn’t know where to put the black troops so they were sent to the western frontier to deal with the Native Americans. They were the heroes of the wild west, they were also the first national park rangers. We are a part of the history of this country that a lot of people don’t know and we are still here. There are two chapters here, the horse calvary and the motorcycle chapter. My daughter and son-in-law are members of that. I tell her ‘I ride the real thing,’ and she says, ‘I ride the steel thing.’ I am a history buff and have a degree in Afro-American studies. I got interested in the Buffalo Soldiers because my grandparents told me Native American blood runs through my veins. When I retired I got an SUV and a horse and everything else is history. I have a Tennessee Walker that is over 15 hands and thinks he owns me. His name is Cannon. I do a lot of things around the schools with Cannon. Everyone knows his name.”