The National Park Service officially dedicated the Charles Young Buffalo Soldier National Monument on April 2. Born to enslaved parents, Charles Young, Class of 1889, was the highest ranking African American commanding officer from 1894 until his death in 1922. He served nearly his entire military career with the all-black 9th and 10th Calvary regiments, the “Buffalo Soldiers.” He was the third African American to graduate from West Point in 1889 and the last African American to complete West Point until 1936, the first African American superintendent of a national park, and the fourth soldier to be honored with a funeral service at the Arlington Amphitheater before being buried in Arlington Cemetery.
Another graduate, Brian Shellum ’76, helped bring Young’s story to light. He has written two books on Young, Black Cadet in a White Bastion: Charles Young at West Point, and Black Officer in a Buffalo Soldier Regiment: The Military Career of Charles Young. Shellum is working closely with the National Park Service on the layout and content of this 401st and newest unit of the National Park System.
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