Mark Matthews
Mark Matthews (August 7, 1894 – September 6, 2005) was an American soldier. Born in
Alabama and growing up in
Ohio, Matthews joined the
10th Cavalry Regiment when he was only 15 years old, after having been recruited at a
Lexington, Kentucky racetrack and having documents forged so that he appeared to meet the minimum age of 17. While stationed in
Arizona, he joined General
John J. Pershing's
Mexico expedition to hunt down Mexican general
Pancho Villa. He was later transferred to
Virginia, where he took care of
President Roosevelt and
First Lady Eleanor's horses and was a member of the
Buffalo Soldiers' drum and bugle corps. In his late 40s, he served in combat operations in the
South Pacific during World War II and achieved the rank of
first sergeant. He was noted as an excellent marksman and horse showman.
Leaving the
United States Army a few years before it was integrated, Matthews then took a job as a security guard in
Maryland, rising to the rank of chief of the guards and then retiring in 1970. After the war, he told stories of military experiences and grew to become a symbol of the Buffalo Soldiers. In his later years he met with
Bill Clinton and
Colin Powell and also dedicated a barracks in Virginia in honor of the Buffalo Soldiers. Having experienced excellent health for most of his life, Matthews died of
pneumonia aged 111 and was buried in
Arlington National Cemetery. At the time of his death, he was recognized as the oldest living Buffalo Soldier as well as the oldest man, and the second-oldest person, in the
District of Columbia.
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