More than 150 years after the first regiments of Buffalo Soldiers were formed, a bipartisan pair of senators is looking to bestow Congress’ highest honor on the storied Black troops.
Sens. Andy Kim, D-N.J., and Tim Scott, R-S.C., will introduce a bill Monday evening that would award the Congressional Gold Medal to the four Buffalo Soldier regiments. The introduction is timed to the day of the 159th anniversary of Congress approving legislation to create what became known as the Buffalo Soldiers.
“The Buffalo Soldiers served our nation selflessly in uniform and in the face of racial discrimination, and it is long past time we honor them with a Congressional Gold Medal,” Kim said in a statement. “I’ve had the privilege of hearing personal experiences from Buffalo Soldier veterans in New Jersey and am committed to making sure more Americans learn their story.”
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The bill has been introduced in the House several times over the years, to no avail. But this is the first time it is being introduced in the Senate, injecting some momentum into the effort to honor the Buffalo Soldiers.
Further, Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate, is the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, which has jurisdiction over the bill.
“Having been raised in a military family, I know firsthand the sacrifices made by those in uniform,” Scott said in a statement. “The Buffalo Soldiers were instrumental in integrating Black Americans into our armed forces and served valiantly in the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, and the Korean War, and I’m proud to lead the Buffalo Soldiers Congressional Gold Medal Act and commemorate their heroic actions.”
After the end of the Civil War, Congress approved legislation in 1866 to allow Black men to serve in segregated units in the Army. Originally six regiments, they were later consolidated into four: the 9th and 10th Cavalry, and the 24th and 25th Infantry.
The Buffalo Soldiers — a nickname that was bestowed on the soldiers by Native Americans — started serving mainly in America’s western frontier guarding mail, protecting settlers and building roads. They went on to serve in the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II and the Korean War before being disbanded after the military was integrated.
Over the course of their history, service members in the Buffalo Soldiers earned 30 Medals of Honor, among other awards and citations.
One of the last living Buffalo Soldiers, Robert Dixon, died in 2024.
The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian honor Congress can award and has been given out for accomplishments in the military, arts, civil rights, athletics, public service and more.
Most recently, Congress approved a Gold Medal for Everett Alvarez Jr., a Navy pilot held captive during the Vietnam War who was the second-longest-held prisoner of war in U.S. military history.
Under the bill introduced by Kim and Scott, the physical medal for the Buffalo Soldiers would be given to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. There, the medal would be “displayed as appropriate and made available for research,” according to the bill text.
“The Congressional Gold Medal would be an appropriate way to shed further light on the service of the Buffalo Soldiers and the instrumental role they played in instilling an approach to inclusivity within our military and the way of life in the United States,” the bill says.
An identical bill was reintroduced in the House earlier this year by Reps. Marilyn Strickland, D-Wash., and Herb Conaway, D-N.J.
“As we look toward the 250th anniversary of our nation next year,” Kim said in his statement, “let’s uplift the service and heroes who got us here, and recognize our Buffalo Soldiers for their invaluable impact on the course of history.”
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