Fellow veterans and supporters:

The June 14th flag raising ceremony for the Buffalo Soldier Memorial is "delayed" because of the Black Fire. 

Last night the fire swept over the memorial. Thankfully and to the credit of all our efforts to preserve the memorial; the cement and rock ground barrier, along with the clearing of high grass and debris which we cleared in February and April may be the saving grace for the memorial. Also because it is in a 100 x 200 yard grassy flat field with no trees or debris, it should likely be able to escape destruction by fire. The status can not be evaluated until the fire and danger is mitigated by rain or the USFS; making it open and safe to hike in from the Cave Creek 307 and Animas River 114 trails. The US Army Blackhawk request is also "on hold" to be revisited at a future date. I will keep you all posted as soon as I know them. In the meantime, please know that I am very appreciative of your voluntary support for this project, and we will soon have a beautiful flag raising ceremony for the Memorial and our honorable Buffalo Soldiers. It will be lit with a powerful solar light and also have four stainless steel engraved placards, telling all who helped make this project happen.

Please share this information with others who you may know who would be interested in learning about or supporting the preservation of this significant cultural and historical site located on 40 deeded homestead acres within our beautiful remote Aldo Leopold Wilderness and Gila National Forest.

Sincerely,
David L. Morrison
MCBSMR Project Manager
Commander, Post 18 American Legion