Mark Matthews

About

African-American U.S. Army First Sergeant who served in the South Pacific during World War II.

Before Fame

He began serving in the 10th Cavalry Regiment when he was fifteen years old.

Trivia

He served as a Buffalo Soldier in a Virginia-based drum and bugle corps and, during this period, also cared for horses owned by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Family Life

He was married to Genevieve Hill Matthews for fifty-seven years. Mrs. Matthews died in 1986, and Sgt. Matthews died of pneumonia two decades later, at the age of 111. The couple had five children and nine grandchildren.

Associated With

He served early in his career in a Mexican military campaign led by John J. Pershing.