Editor,
I noticed the editorial cartoon, which is hardly possible to miss, in Tuesday's Daily Lobo.
It would appear Eric Garcia is woefully ignorant of the history of the African-American regiments in the 19th century U.S. Army, and the way in which these regiments maintained their numbers.
The two cavalry regiments - commonly called Buffalo Soldiers - and the two infantry regiments were recruited as volunteers. They were not drafted, conscripted or forced to serve against their will any more than modern
African-American volunteer soldiers are.
If Garcia chooses to view the Indian Wars and the Iraq occupation as oppressive, that is, of course, his right. It is sad, however, that he, like so many of our academic community, should choose to vilify those who have served our country - and for that matter, his country - through what appears to be ignorance.
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Scott Schermer
UNM staff
