HISTORY REMEMBERED

Top military officers and civilian Army officials are supporting “Coming Home to America’s Roots,” an ongoing grassroots campaign to remind citizens about U.S. black Western heritage and heroes, notably Col. Charles Young, the Army’s highest-ranking black officer in the late 1800s.
The effort also seeks to boost the Army’s recruitment efforts among the black population.
“We see this campaign as a way to promote [Reserve Officer Training Corps] programs at historically black colleges,” said George Richardson, co-founder of Periscope Associates, New York.
Richardson said he hopes the nation’s black Western heritage will be incorporated into the Army’s mainstream advertising to promote pride of service among African Americans.
The campaign took off three years ago thanks to a “Generals’ Call,” a public appeal to all Americans, signed by more than 100 black generals, to help fill “this hole in America’s history.”
“Coming Home to America’s Roots” will culminate on Oct.