Buffalo Soldiers Ride Again
Every time the Buffalo Soldiers and Troopers Motorcycle Club mounts up, they ride to honor the black soldiers who were first called Buffalo Soldiers after the Civil War
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Del.icio.usThe Heroic Buffalo Soldier Who Called Kaaawa Home
Lawrence Johnson and Dr. Waddell
With the passing of Dr. William Waddell at the age of 98 on Jan. 30, the nation lost not only its last cavalry Buffalo Soldier, but a respected author, researcher, veterinarian and teacher.
Born in 1908, the long-time Kaaawa resident, always an admirer of horses, graduated from University of Pennsylvania Veterinary School in 1935 and then became the first black man to pass the state board in veterinary medicine in Pennsylvania.
After graduation he collaborated with famed botanist George Washington Carver from September 1935 until Carver’s death in 1943. In 1938, he co-founded the school of Veterinary Medicine at Tuskeegee, Ala., and later served as a member of the faculty. And when war came, he did what millions of other Americans did, he answered the call.
As a lieutenant in the U.S. Army’s 9th Cavalry during World War II, he served in Africa and Italy in 1943 and 1944 and oversaw the care of 10,000 horses and mules. In 1944, Waddell was wounded in the neck while in North Africa by German troops. He spent 90 days in a field hospital before returning to duty.
Waddell went on to write nine books, most on veterinary medicine, plus a biography, Some Bastardly People.
At Dr. Waddell’s burial on Feb. 12 at Punchbowl National Cemetery, Lawrence Johnson, president of the Oahu Chapter of the Buffalo Soldiers and Troopers Motorcycle Club, read the following letter from former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Secretary of State, Gen. Colin Powell.
“Dear Friends, I am writing to pay my respects to the life and memory of Dr. Bill Waddell. Although I didn’t know him, I am what I am because of him and so many other African American soldiers who faithfully served their country when the country did not serve them. They did it in the certain belief of the values given to us by the Founding Fathers and in the expectation that those of us who followed would benefit from their sacrifice and service. We all did and we are a better country as a result. We have become a beacon of hope and freedom to the world. We must build on the legacy Lt. Waddell has left us.
“I honor Bill for his commitment to his profession and his dedication to his community. With all those assembled today , I extend my condolences to his family. Let his long life be a source of inspiration and joy for us all.”
Johnson said being able to befriend Waddell in the last few years of his life was a thrill.
“I just felt really warm that this guy, an original Buffalo Soldier, could appreciate us. I think he just appreciated just the sight of us as much as we appreciated visiting with him.”
Waddell is survived by his daughter Kathryn Waddell-Takara, Ph.D., author, poet and University of Hawaii inter-disciplinary studies professor.
-Steve Murray
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