The soldiers of the all-black 2d Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne), like other black units, were nicknamed the “Buffalo Soldiers.” There is more than one explanation of how the nickname came to be, but a commonly accepted account is that sometime around 1870, the 10th Cavalry Regiment was given this nickname by the Cheyenne Indians who “saw a similarity between the curly hair and dark skin of the soldiers and the buffalo.” 1 The nickname gradually came into usage whenever referring to any black soldier fighting the Plains Indians, and was “so popular among the members of the 10th Cavalry that they adopted the figure of a buffalo as a prominent feature of their Regimental Crest.”
During World War I, the soldiers of the 92d Division adopted the nickname, and the unit was called the Buffalo Division. Each member wore a shoulder patch on his uniform adorned with the solitary figure of a black buffalo. In 1942, the 92d Division “kept the nickname and apparently acquired a live young buffalo as a mascot.” 2
In 1950, throughout their training days at Fort Benning, Georgia, and before the Buffalo Rangers who were to fight in Korea went overseas, “Buffalo” was a term of respect. In it there was solidarity. We are Rangers AND we carry the traditions of earlier Buffalo soldiers—we are strong, we are resilient, and we are united to destroy the enemy.