Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 106 Part 6.djvu/828

 106 STAT. 5386 PROCLAMATION 6461-JULY 24, 1992 ber 27 through October 3, 1992, as Minority Enterprise Development , Week. I encourage all Americans to observe this week with appropriate programs and activities in celebration of the achievements of minority business men and women and in recognition of the successful public- - private partnerships that are leading to greater educational and economic opportunities for all Americans. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-first . day of July, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-two, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and seventeenth. ^. -- GEORGE BUSH Proclamation 6461 of July 24, 1992 Buffalo Soldiers Day, 1992 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation On July 28, 1866, recognizing the contributions of the more than 180,000 black Americans who fought to preserve the Union during the Civil War, the United States Congress established six regular Army regiments of black enlisted soldiers. Of those six units, the 9th and 10th Cavalry regiments eventually became two of the most highly decorated units in American military history. Despite su^ering the discrimination and the injustice that plagued all black Americans during the days of segregation, the members of the 9th and 10th Cavalry regiments served with pride and distinction. On this occasion, we celebrate their outstanding legacy of service. Organized at Greenville, Louisiana, and at Fort Leavenworth. Kansas, respectively, the 9th and 10th Cavalry regiments played key roles in the development of the western United States. In addition to protecting settlers as they crossed the frontier via wagon trains and railroads, these skilled horsemen and soldiers assisted in the construction of roads and forts and in the pursuit of cattle thieves and other outlaws. During a battle in 1867 near Fort Hays, Kansas, Cheyenne warriors remarked that the black American soldiers fought as fiercely and with as much strength as buffaloes. Hence, members of the 9th and 10th Cavalries proudly adopted the name "Buffalo Soldiers" as a badge of honor. While the Buffalo Soldiers blazed many significant trails in the history of the American frontier, their achievements were not limited to the western United States. Members of the 9th and 10th Cavalry regiments also served in Virginia, Vermont, and New York, and answered the call to duty in places as far-flung as Cuba, Mexico, and the Philippines. They served alongside Theodore Roosevelt and his legendary Rough Riders at San Juan Hill, and they continued to prove their courage and mettle through two world wars and the conflict in Korea. By the time of their integration in 1952, the Buffalo Soldiers had earned well over a dozen Congressional Medals of Honor, as well as numerous campaign and unit citations. From their ranks emerged several famed military leaders, including General Benjamin O. Davis, Sr., Colonel Charles

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