HORACE
P. WILLIAMS
Patriot, Chapter 1919
(ARMY,
Vietnam) Article December 2001
A Modern day "Buffalo
Soldier"
Horace Williams
is a civilian employee working at Camp Mabry. He served two tours in Vietnam
and was wounded at CU CHI on February 10, 1966 while serving in Company C,
1st Battalion, 27th Infantry (Wolfhounds), 25th Infantry Division. As an
Army Vietnam veteran and a resident of Austin, Texas, that puts Horace
squarely in the middle of the most populous demographic group of Chapter
1919 of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, nothing particularly
noteworthy about that. But, he does something truly special and unique for a
member of our veterans group.
Early in the morning on any given weekend,
Horace gets up and dresses in his authentic replica uniform of an 1870’s
Cavalryman, loads his two horses in the trailer, hooks up to his pickup
truck, and he's off to someplace in Texas with the other members of his
"Buffalo Soldiers" re-enactment group. Horace is the President and
co-founder of the officially designated group, “Company A, 9th Cavalry
Regiment”, that presents a living history of the frontier Black Cavalry
Troopers. They perform for the public in parades, trail rides, rodeos,
historical commemorations and ceremonies, and make appearances in public
schools. The uniforms for the "Buffalo Soldiers" and the equipment for their
horses were sponsored by the Texas Military Forces Museum and faithfully
replicate U.S. Cavalry issue of the late 1800's, accurate in every detail.
Co A, 9th Cavalry, along with many other
public appearances, participate in rodeos in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio,
Austin, Fort Worth, and Mesquite. Austin Community College periodically airs
a tape of Horace's history presentation to an elementary school class, look
for it on ACCTV. In his spare time, Horace Williams is also a member of the
Travis County Sheriffs Posse. |
