This cache is placed in honor of Colonel Charles Young & the ROTC program that he established. Charles Young overcame great obstacles to become one of the most distinguished black American soldiers in U.S. Army history.
Mr. boxen-hunters team fondly remembers early morning training sessions with the ROTC battalion along the bike trail. So we thought it only appropriate to place a cache here.
We'd love to see some military memorabilia traded through this cache, but as per Geocaching.com guidelines, please don't put ammunition, knives, or other weapons paraphernalia into the cache.
Congratulations to ghs for FTF!
Colonel Charles Young
Charles Young was born into slavery in Kentucky in 1864. His father escaped in 1865 to Ripley, Ohio, and his wife and son Charles followed afterwards. Young graduated from high school in 1880 at the age of 16. He was the first black to graduate from his high school with honors. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1889, as the third black West Point graduate.
Following his graduation, Lieutenant Young served with mostly all-black units, most notably the 10th U.S. Cavalry, also known as the Buffalo Soldiers. in 1894, Young was appointed as the Professor of Military Science and Tactics at Wilberforce University, leading the first Student Army Training Corps for black students in the nation. Young served at Wilberforce as the Professor of Military Science and Tactics from 1894-1896, and again as a Lieutenant Colonel (retired) from 1917-1918.
Young rose through the ranks during his stellar military career of 28 years to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. When he was in line for eventual promotion to Brigadier General, he was declared medically unfit for duty under questionable circumstances, and forced into retirement in 1917. The following year, Young rode on horseback from Wilberforce, Ohio to Washington D.C. to prove he was fit for duty.
Young was reinstated back into active duty as a full Colonel. In 1922, he died of a kidney infection during a reconnaissance mission in Nigeria. Colonel Charles Young was buried in Arlington National Cemetery with full honors.
Young also was the first black superintendent of a national park.
In 2013, Young's home became the Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument. The National Park Service is currently developing this monument for visitor use. As of 2016, it is only available for limited guided tours and not yet open to the public.