Darrel Nash, PA Officer for the
On Saturday, several weeks ago, Columbus was honored by the return of some of the famous Buffalo Soldiers, whose predecessors fought against the Villa forces during the Punitive Expedition in 1916 and 1917 out of this once much larger town in SW New Mexico.
The honored guest speaker for the event was Darrel Nash (Left), an Army Veteran, and the Public Affairs Officer for the Tacoma, Washington, Buffalo Soldiers Museum. Master Sergeant (MSgt) Nash was invited to speak by the local Columbus Historical Society (CHS), our sister non-profit.
The organizer of all the event’s details and the event itself was our own FASF GTr and long-time member, also an officer of the CHS, Dr. Kathleen Martin.
The Buffalo Soldiers fiercely fought during the Punitive Expedition. Of course, they only existed at that time as a segregated group because of the discriminatory practices that were part of the old Military establishment right up to shortly after the conclusion of WWII, in 1948.
Accordingly, on July 26, 1948, neither the famous Flying Red Tails (Tuskegee Airmen) nor Buffalo Soldiers had a reason to continue, since they were all now equal in every way to any members of the military establishment who were not of color. However, their proud history was well worth keeping in the public’s eye, so numerous historically oriented non-profits sprung up around the country to help keep their exceptional history alive. One of these was the Buffalo Soldiers Museum and historical non-profit founded in Tacoma, WA.
Below, are some photos of the event, and a video of Sergeant Nash’s presentation.
Sergeant Nash prepares for his PowerPoint Show.
Sgt. Nash tests the audio system . . .
Arriving at the Pancho Villa State Park (PVSP), are members of various Buffalo Soldier Motor Cycle Clubs from Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.
Dr. Kathleen Martin (Centr above), the event organizer, arrives at the PVSP Exhibition Hall to help set things up . . .
Retired Army Veteran and FASF Airfield Manager, Bob Wright with a welcoming hug to an El Paso Texas Buffalo Soldier Motorcycle Club member . . .
Centter stage, Sgt. Nash greets his fellow Buffalo Soldiers to the park . . .
Buffalo Soldier Motorcycle Club Members and their family members proudly gather around Sgt. Nash . . .
The gathering crowd of attendees and professional photographers take photos of the Buffalo Soldier Club Members
Professional Photo Journalist, Raechel Running, came from Bisbee, AZ to cover the event . . .
Once again the Club Members gather for photographs, this time for “Rae” Running of Bisbee AZ
Sgt. Nash speaking with Rae Running, old friends from previous Columbus historical events
At the far-right is a long-time member of the CHS, Marylin Steffen, of Columbus. Sgt. Nash explains his display . . .
Another long-time member of the CHS and former Columbus Councilman, a USMC veteran, Allen Rosenberg (R), in a vintage Army uniform. Dr. Martin is in the center background..
Allen Rosenberg discusses the event with a friend . . .
Sgt Nash enthusiastically begins his program . . .
He’s off and running . . .
The audience spilled out into the exhibit hall corridor . . .
Sgt. Nash presents one of his well-chosen slides about the Buffalo Soldiers’ history . . .
The audience continued to grow and here applauds Sgt. Nash as he concluded his presentation . . .
“Da Boss” an active member of the El Paso, Texas Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club introduces the next Speaker
Historian, Carlos “Lobo” Bazan, President of the Camp Naco Post Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club of Tucson, AZ
The front row takes in “Lobo’s” historical talk . . .
“Lobo” continues the lecture with an excellent slide show to illustrate his theme . . .
The Audience continued to grow as the presentations were made . . .
More of the audience . . .
James “Shaft” Foreman, President of the Sierra Vista, Arizona Buffalo Soldiers’ Motorcycle Club, takes the mic . . .
Shaft continues . . .
After the proceedings ended, some of the Buffalo Soldiers and “Rae” Running, gathered to recall some memories . . .
Rae Running surrounded by two members of the El Paso, Texas Club as all get ready to leave for the dining Hall . . .
How can I find out about the presentations in advance? I live in Capitan, NM, and could come over – the Buffalo Soldier and the earlier Chiricahua presentations would have been beneficial to attend. I volunteer in living history at Fort Stanton Historic Site as a soldier in 1858 and also as a CCC worker as the fort was a USCT and Buffalo Soldier post, and later hosted a 1930’s CCC camp. So I try to interpret to the public the nature of 19th Century troops and Mescalero Apache warriors here. BTW, I attended the 100th Pancho Villa Raid event at Columbus/Camp Furlong as a 6th Infantry soldier, with the other living history men and women (I was for real in the U.S. 6th Infantry, Berlin Brigade 79-82).
This coming Saturday, at 10:00 AM at the Columbus Historical Society’s Annual Memorial, behind their Depot Museum in Columbus, Darrel Nash, a current day representative of the Buffalo Soldiers, from Washington State. will by the featured speaker. Come on down to enjoy the event – which is also the annual Raid Day in Columbus.
My grandfather, Colonel C.A. Schwarzwaelder joined the New York National Guard in 1914 and was shipped to Columbus to fight Pancho Villa. He received the Distinguished Service Cross for heroism in the trenches of WWII, and I always remember him telling me that the trenches were no where near as miserable as the conditions in New Mexico. Everything from mosquitos to snakes and terrible heat. Now that I live in New Mexico I sure wish he was still around to talk too.