Buffalo Soldiers: Rockland honors Black military role models amid warnings of lost history
Buffalo Soldiers: Rockland honors Black military role models amid warnings of lost history
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Black veterans receive Buffalo Soldier Lifetime Recognition Award in Rockland County
Black veterans honored at the annual Buffalo Soldiers award ceremony Feb. 11, 2025 at the Fire Training Center in Pomona.
The Rev. Raymond Caliman, pastor of Fairmont Baptist Church in Haverstraw, served in the U.S. Army Active Reserves.
Alphonso Marshall, second vice commander of American Legion Post 199 in Spring Valley, served in the U.S. Army.
Bertis Blanks, drafted into the U.S. Army in 1944, Blanks served during World War II and the Korean War.
Charlie Maushardt, president of the Nam Knights Motorcycle Club's Hudson Valley Chapter, was recognized as an Honorary Buffalo Soldier.
POMONA - Four veterans with long records of service to country and community were honored Tuesday, Feb. 11, at the annual Rockland County Buffalo Soldiers Awards.
The annual award is named on behalf of the "Buffalo Soldiers," or members of African-American cavalry regiments of the U.S. Army started in the 1800s serving in the western United States. The Buffalo Soldiers were known for their courage and discipline.
2025 Buffalo Soldier honorees
Buffalo Soldier awardees for 2025 are:
The Rev. Raymond Caliman. Pastor of Fairmont Baptist Church in Haverstraw, Caliman enlisted in the U.S. Army Active Reserves in 1957. Now 86, Caliman, who holds a doctorate in divinity, first joked "the most dangerous thing you can do is give a preacher a microphone," then offered thanks and called the award a blessing and an honor.
Pastor of Fairmont Baptist Church in Haverstraw, Caliman enlisted in the U.S. Army Active Reserves in 1957. Now 86, Caliman, who holds a doctorate in divinity, first joked "the most dangerous thing you can do is give a preacher a microphone," then offered thanks and called the award a blessing and an honor. Alphonso Marshall. The Second Vice Commander of American Legion Post 199 in Spring Valley, Marshall was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1968 and served two years during the Vietnam War. Retired as chief elevator inspector for the New York City Department of buildings, the 76-year-old continues to work part time providing elevator inspections and evaluations.
The Second Vice Commander of American Legion Post 199 in Spring Valley, Marshall was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1968 and served two years during the Vietnam War. Retired as chief elevator inspector for the New York City Department of buildings, the 76-year-old continues to work part time providing elevator inspections and evaluations. Bertis Blanks. Drafted into the U.S. Army in 1944, Blanks served during World War II and the Korean War and served in France, Japan, Korea, Germany and Guam. Banks recalls Camp Shanks in Orangeburg when it housed German prisoners of war, whom had more privileges than Black soldiers like himself. Now 98, he cares for his younger brother, age 90.
Charlie Maushardt was recognized as this year's Honorary Buffalo Soldier for his years of dedication to Mount Moor Cemetery in West Nyack. The cemetery is the final resting place for men who escaped slavery to fight in the Union Army in the Civil War, Buffalo soldiers from the Spanish-American war and matriarchs of the Black families that settled the Nyacks. Maushardt, 73, is longtime president of the Nam Knights Motorcycle Club's Hudson Valley Chapter
'... the strength to fight for our history'
Rockland County Legislator Toney Earl noted that the ceremony comes the same month that the U.S. Military Academy at West Point had disbanded cadet clubs focused on ethnicity, gender, race and sexuality in response to the Trump administration's war on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, or DEI, programs.
Buffalo Soldiers had a presence at West Point, providing riding instruction and cavalry escort, from 1907 to 1948, before the Army itself was desegregated.
"The Buffalo Soldiers hold a special place in our history, leading and serving despite racism," said Earl, D-Spring Valley. "Their legacies will give us the strength to fight for our history."
Rockland County Executive Ed Day presented the honors.
Rockland County Veterans Service Agency Director Susan Branam served as emcee.
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