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Lewis was sent to Kansas to train in the U.S. Army’s 9th Horse Cavalry, the all-Black unit that distinguished itself over decades of fighting. The Buffalo Soldier units formed during the Civil War and were disbanded when President Harry S Truman issued an order to integrate the armed forces in 1948. The horse cavalry training was a rude awakening for Lewis. “I had never been near a horse,” Lewis, 99, said in a recent interview. “They gave me a horse and I had to learn to ride a horse and I had to do everything a cavalryman did, ride the horse, feed the horse.” ....
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: ELIZABETHTON - Nola Barnette Sams, 91, Elizabethton, passed from this life unexpectedly on Thursday, March 11, 2021 at Johnson City Medical Center. Born March 17, 1929 in Johnson City, TN. to the late George and Wilma Adams Barnette, she married the love of her life, Fred Sams, Jr. in 1949 and lived in Elizabethton since that time. Fred preceded her in death in 1983 and she lived independently until the day of her death. She was also preceded in death by a sister, Pansy Brown, and a half-brother, Lawrence Honeycutt. Survivors include a daughter, Dathia Reynolds and son-in-law: Scott. Sisters include: LaVerne Gouge, Elizabethton, Selma Vicars, Johnson City and a brother, Ralph Barnette, Johnson City. Several nieces and nephews also survive and a special brother-in-law: Robert Sams. ....