John "JR" Bruce is President of the KC Buffalo Soldiers Chapter and earned four Bronze Stars for Valor in Combat in Vietnam. Certified Oral Storyteller.
George Pettigrew is Executive VP of the KC Buffalo Soldiers Chapter and Cochairman of the new Fort Leavenworth Museum Project. Certified Oral Storyteller. U.S. Navy veteran.
Donna Madison is Treasurer of the KC Buffalo Soldiers Chapter and the daughter of the Co-founder of the Alexander/Madison Chapter of KC Buffalo Soldiers. The world's first Buffalo Soldier chapter and forerunner of the 9th & 10th (Horse) Cavalry Association.
Email: george.buffalosoldierskc@gmail.com
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Available Presentations (h3 text)
Available Presentations
Buffalo Soldiers; Slave to Soldier
One of the greatest and most successful human experiments in American history had its seminal roots in Missouri. Starting in 1866, Jefferson Barracks, Missouri was the receiving station for the men (and woman) of color following the Civil War. There the most unlikely of soldiers joined the United States Army in the United States Colored Troops (USCT) by the name of Cathay Williams, aka Pvt. William Cathay, the only known female to serve in what became known as the Buffalo Soldiers. Pvt. Isaac Johnson, the great grandfather of one of the presenters enlisted on May 6, 1866, and joined his company at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri. An original Buffalo Soldier, he traveled across Missouri by rail to the Western Frontier to serve with honor in the 38th and 24th Infantry, and later reenlisted into the famed 9th Cavalry. His story is the basis of "Slave to Soldier." All presentations are in period uniform/dress. Covering the evolution of USCT from the first ever engagement of black troops and Confederate forces during the Civil War happened in Bates County, Missouri at the Battle of Island Mound. Coming full circle, we discuss the development of o-shoots of the Buffalo Soldiers through WWII and Korea.
Program Underwriting
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Program Underwriting
Each speaker can provide up to four presentations to underserved rural communities at no cost to the hosting institution. For the presentation to be covered by program underwriting, the host organization must be nonprofit and located outside Boone, Greene, Jackson, and St. Louis counties and outside the city of St. Louis.
For presentations that qualify for program underwriting, there is no cost to the host organization. The number of underwritten presentations this speaker has remaining is indicated below.
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Requesting a Speaker
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