Buffalo Soldier Sentinel - July 2020 Edition

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buffalo soldiers sentinel

From the Sergeant's Desk

Sgt. Padilla

Summertime greetings to our Volunteers, Partners, and Friends,

Happy Texas Buffalo Soldier and National Buffalo Soldier Month!

We are happy to continue to celebrate and honor the passage of Texas Senate Bill #1457 in July of 1999, that officially designates this month as “Texas Buffalo Soldier Month”. In honor of the role these brave and historic men played in American history, the Buffalo Soldier Team will be hosting a series of FREE virtual events throughout July, highlighting the history and heritage of the Buffalo Soldiers. 

We would like to welcome everyone to Buffalo Soldier University (BSU), a special series that features the stories, heritage, and way of life on the Texas Frontier from a variety of perspectives.  The BSU interactive programs will be delivered LIVE through our Facebook page (www.Facebook/TexasBuffaloSolidersProgram) at 6pm every Thursday and Friday throughout this month, plus and culminate with a fun filled #BuffaloSoldiersMonthTriviaChallenge at 6pm on Friday, August 1st. (Please see the full schedule below.) Be sure to register your Trivia Team (or just yourself!), share, and follow our programs to join in the fun and win some great Buffalo Soldier prizes!  If you miss one of the live feeds, no worries.  You can always go back through our video archives on Facebook and catch up at your own time.

Congratulations to our June BSU Trivia Winners!

  • 1st Place: 9th and 10th Horse Cavalry Dream Team from the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum in Houston, Texas
  • 2nd Place: Zackattack from Kyle, Texas
  • 3rd Place: Lost Scouts from Haltom City Texas!

 

Ready Forward! We Can.. We Will!

For more information please visit our website. 

Texas Parks & Wildlife - Buffalo Soldiers

We look forward to seeing you further down the trail!



Upcoming Programs

BSU Banner

Buffalo Soldier Universirty - Where History Comes Alive!


Buffalo Soldier University Second Semester Programs 

  • Thursday, July 9th at 6 PM CST, “Women on the Frontier” with Lt. Dolifka
  • Friday, July 10th at 6 PM CST, “The Things They Carried” with Sgt. Padilla
  • Thursday, July 16th at 6 PM CST, "30 Miles a Day on Beans and Hay" with Pvt. Mack
  • Friday, July 17th at 6 PM CST, "Black and White Together" with Lt. Dolifka
  • Wednesday, July 22nd at 6 PM CST, "Let's Talk About It" with Sgt. Padilla
  • Thursday, July 23rd at 6 PM CST, "The Art of War" with Lt. Dolifka
  • Friday, July 24th at 6 PM CST, "We Can, We Will - Building a Nation" with Pvt. Mack
  • Saturday, July 25th at 1 PM CST, Amateur Radio Special Event - Buffalo Soldiers Month Recognition  ***This special program is not part of BSU***
  • Tuesday, July 28th at 6 PM CST, Buffalo Soldier Day - Tour of the Buffalo Soldier National Museum in Houston, Texas
  • Wednesday, July 29th at 6 PM CST, "From Trail to Table" with Ranger Jessica
  • Thursday, July 30th at 6 PM CST, "Knowledge is Power" with Pvt. Mack
  • Friday, July 31st at 6 PM CST, "One Stop Shop - The American Bison" with Lt. Dolifka
  • Saturday, August 1st at 6 PM CST, #BuffaloSoldierMonthTriviaChallenge - BSU Semester II Final Exam with Lt. Dolifka and Sgt. Padilla

All the BSU interactive programs will be delivered LIVE through our Facebook page (www.Facebook/TexasBuffaloSolidersProgram

Don't worry if you missed a program. All of these and more are archived on the Texas Buffalo Soldiers Program Facebook page.


Interested in Private Group Programs?

Do you know a scout group that would like a free virtual program on Animal Tracks and Trails?  How about a homeschool group that would like to brush up on their Texas History? Perhaps your local Senior Center would enjoy a live Q and A session with Private Mack, or stories of the Women of the Frontier?  Due to the public health concerns related to the Covid pandemic, our time on the trail delivering programs and traveling the state is projected to be quite limited.  To keep our audiences and our staff safe, we are expanding our program delivery online! We are now accepting reservation requests for private programs “virtually” for August-December, using a variety of platforms such as Zoom, Facebook, or GoToWebinar. We can tailor programs for audiences by request and availability may book up quickly! To request a digital brochure, or to book a program, contact Luis Padilla at 512-844-3526 or by email at Luis.Padilla@tpwd.texas.gov.



Volunteer Spotlight

Radar Ham Radio

Trooper Radar at Buffalo Soldier Ham Radio Command Center

Our volunteer spotlight for the month of July shines brightly on our longtime friend, Kevin Briscoe. Better known as “Trooper Radar”, he has been a part of our programs for well over five years and has covered several hundred miles with us. Trooper Radar has been, and continues to be, a huge advocate for sharing the stories of Texas History, and the legacy of the Buffalo Soldier, and has participated in events at the Institute of Texan Cultures in San Antonio, assisted with flag detail and the presentation of colors throughout Texas. 

We invite you to check out his latest collaboration with our Buffalo Soldiers program, a special Amateur Ham Radio program on July 25th to help us honor Buffalo Soldier Month. If you would like to participate, The broadcast will go out over special event stations W5W & W5B.  General public or non-licensed individuals may participate via social media through a special live stream on the Buffalo Soldiers Facebook page July 25th from 1pm to 2pm. We encourage everyone to visit WWW.QRZ.com and enter either of the special event call signs W5W or W5B into the search box for additional information and memorabilia instructions. 

For further questions about the Ham Radio Event with Trooper Radar please contact Luis Padilla at 512-844-3526 or by email at Luis.Padilla@tpwd.texas.gov. or reach out to us on our Facebook page to join in the live stream event.


Have you participated in a Buffalo Soldiers Program?

Tell us about your experience!


Share Your Photos

Email your Texas State Park photos to Ricky Dolifka and get a chance to have your image showcased here in the Buffalo Soldiers Sentinel.

Keep Connected

Texas Buffalo Soldiers bring history to life with stories, costumes and tools.

At one of our programs, you can learn how to track an animal, fish with a cane pole or cook over a campfire. We play traditional games, use the sun to find directions, learn Native American skills, and even saddle a horse.

We make connections between history and the outdoors. Our goal is to not only share history, but to share our Story.

Follow us on FacebookTwitter or Instagram and help share our story!