Buffalo Soldier Speaks

Sgt. Boman talks about Time as its own sort of geography, that in the Sierra Nevada you can get lost in the when, the here and now, as easily as taking a wrong turn in the mountains.

Sgt. Boman

Sgt. Boman continues this conversation about colored men who serve in the military, and their fight for freedoms that are elusive once they return from the battlefield.

Sgt. Boman tells of an encounter in Jerseydale that prompts him to consider some of the differences between being a colored soldier versus a white soldier in a time of war.

Sgt. Boman reflects on his status as a sergeant in the Ninth Cavalry and the meaning in his own life of the word

Sgt. Boman feels the power of Yosemite on another memorable night in the wild.

What's the power of beauty on the human spirit? Can a place be so beautiful that when we give ourselves over to that beauty we lose a part of ourselves? On a routine patrol Sgt. Boman encounters such a place.

Sgt. Boman reflects on the impact of his 20 year separation from his family.

After Sgt. Boman evicts a poacher from the park, he has a feeling that he may be the one who's being stalked.

Sgt. Boman has a birthday in Yosemite Valley and thinks about the family he has left behind in the South.

Quiet is a good thing to find in a city, but what about Yosemite?

Sgt. Boman races to the safety of a meadow while Mono winds rise around him.

A routine patrol for Sgt. Boman and Cpl. Bingham becomes dangerous during a breezy day.

Sgt. Boman encounters trouble on an early Spring patrol in a high country still covered with snow.

Sgt. Boman experiences wildfire in the high country.

Sgt. Boman has his first experience with winter in Yosemite.

Sgt. Boman is "volunteered" for an assignment in Yosemite Valley.

Sgt. Boman talks about the meaning and origin of the phrase "buffalo soldier."

Sgt. Boman tells of his first encounter with Charles Young, the first African American Superintendent of a national park.

Sgt. Boman describes the role of soldiers in the protection of Yosemite.

Sgt. Boman relates an encounter with horses that led to a discovery.

Riding a horse in San Francisco is called transportation, but here in Yosemite can it become something much more liberating?

Sgt. Boman momentarily loses his bearings, and in the process finds himself completely.

Sgt. Boman's surprised by a memory in the form of a meadow strewn with wildflowers.

In the wilderness, everyday things take on a much deeper meaning, even the wind has a voice.

What's the impact on Sgt. Boman of that first starry night in Yosemite?

Sgt. Boman sparks the interest of a Yosemite resident while on a patrol.

Herding sheep is illegal in Yosemite, but not every illegal act is wrong. Sgt. Boman discovers that morality depends on one's point of view, especially in the mountains.

A sudden afternoon rain during Sgt. Boman's patrol through the mountains of Yosemite changes everything and nothing.

After a recent patrol through Slide Canyon, Sgt. Boman speaks about the power of Yosemite to so fully remember all that has happened in the past that the past continues to live on in the present.

Sgt. Boman talks again about Hetch Hetchy and his recent experience there.

Sgt. Boman speaks about the power of place on the mind, in particular the impact of Hetch Hetchy Valley. When something bad happens, does it leave an echo, a memory, does it leave a stain on an otherwise beautiful land?

Sgt. Boman reflects on the impact stillness has had on his life. Within that quiet he remembers the time he spent in the Philippine War, and how it lingers within him and with him on his patrols through a valley called Hetch Hetchy.

Sgt. Boman reports on what he feels about the meaning of family, contrasts the beauty of the place he patrols with the often painful nature of the duty he must perform.

Sgt. Boman's meditation on the mountains, and the price he has paid for spending too much time alone at the edge of the sky.

After a solitary patrol in the wilderness of Yosemite; the high country's atmosphere makes a mark on Sgt. Boman, and lead him to thoughts about freedom.