Across Indiana
The Hoosier Buffalo Soldier
Preview | 6m 9sVideo has Closed Captions
The last of the Buffalo Soldiers
This 1994 story highlights a lesser know chapter of US Military history involving some of the first African-Americans to serve amongst its ranks, the Buffalo Soldiers. With the Civil War over and slavery abolished, the United States Army finds itself both moving west towards lands belonging to American-Indians as well as being a segregated army.
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Across Indiana is a local public television program presented by WFYI
Across Indiana
The Hoosier Buffalo Soldier
Preview | 6m 9sVideo has Closed Captions
This 1994 story highlights a lesser know chapter of US Military history involving some of the first African-Americans to serve amongst its ranks, the Buffalo Soldiers. With the Civil War over and slavery abolished, the United States Army finds itself both moving west towards lands belonging to American-Indians as well as being a segregated army.
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipThis year, the U.S.
Postal Service released this sta honoring the Buffalo Soldier.
In 1866, Congress created the 9t and 10th Cavalrie and the 24th and 25th Infantries to accommodate the African Amer who served during the Civil War.
The regiments were used to sett and put down Indian rebellions.
The Indians called them “Buffalo because of their black curly hair and fierce fighting s Besides helping to tame the West the Buffalo Soldiers fought in the Spanish-American W and served around the world.
This was, I think, a beginning p for African American soldiers to be a part of the war effort, you know, to protect, this country.
That was the beginning of it.
And they at that time, this was in the 18, around 1866 when this this came about.
And when you look at the perseve and the kind of... I don't even know how to explain The kinds of degradation that th had to suffer to protect our cou It is something that I thin all Americans should reflect upo Well these days, America is reflecting upon the contribut of the Buffalo Soldier.
Earlier this year at Fort Leaven Kansas, a memorial was dedicated in thei Hoosie John Morton-Finney was asked to He declined.
Said he didn't quite feel up to Little wonder at 105 and at 105, John is said to be the oldest living Buffalo Soldier.
No, John didn't help settle the or fight the Spanish-American Wa but in 191 he served with the old timers wh And he remembers their stories, including the dilemma of fighting the American Indian.
And the Indians all say... many of them old timers told us, do you black men fight for thes when they held you in slavery... (unintelligible) theyre taking and killing us out and pushing u Why do you do this?”.
This is the question, old timers told me this.
Well, its long.
The reason wasnt great, why they were fighting.
It's a long story.
You have to go into the psycholo and all that.
Nevertheless, that's what we wer Fighting the Indian.
In the face of Ji Crow laws, lynchings and blatant the Buffalo Soldier put country To this day, John Morton-Finney his denial for promotion.
Well, he said... “I'm going to send this forward.
Not approved.” He looked me squarely in the fac “I think you can do the wor all right as a second lieutenant But I don't believe that a man of your race and color...” I'm quoting his wo “...should hold a commission in the United States Army.” John Morton-Finney is a veteran of World War I, but his greatest accomplishment occurred in the area of educatio Much of his life John served as a simple schoolte In 1928 when Indianapolis opened segrega Crispus Attucks High School, John was on the faculty.
He taught math and foreign langu for several decades.
Being an educator is only part of the story.
Fact is, John has never stopped Over the years, he has acquired 15 degrees.
Doctor John Morton-Finney has ea three law degrees and at 105, is the oldest practicing attorne in the state of Indiana.
He acquired his latest diploma a What keeps him going?
Well, I'm still going, I'm going I've been going, going, going to 1 or 2 here in the next You know, the world has so many things in it.
You can't learn them all.
We'd like to.
Every man would like to know everything in the world, but answered all questions about this world.
There's always so much to learn and that I don't know, and I want to know.
So I keep going.
As Doctor John Morton-Finney prepares to enter his third cent His living legacy is certainly one of service.
All of his life, he has given.
First as a Buffalo Soldier, then as a schoolteacher and lawy and now as a type of living reso People are constantly asking him to come and talk to groups, to talk to people at museum gath church gatherings, social gather so many educational gatherings because he is able to speak on so many subjects.
Doctor John Morton-Finney is on soldier whose mission is not ove His very presence reminds us of the constant vigilance of these brave men.
Sergeant Morton-Finney is still For more Across Indiana stories, go to wfyi.org/acrossindiana
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