Honoring past, present Published Sept. 5, 2014 By Dean Siemon Northwest Guardian TACOMA -- The memory of the late Edward Drummond, a retired lieutenant colonel, was honored during the "Honoring the Forgotten Heroes" Labor Day festival hosted Monday at Tacoma's Stanley Playfield. Drummond was one of the last living members of the Tuskegee Airman, a unit made up of African-American pilots. The festival was created as a tribute to both the Tuskegee Airmen and the Buffallo Soldiers. Joint Base Lewis-McChord service members took the field on Labor Day as the Army Cannonballers, their T-shirts displaying the Buffalo Soldiers logo, and the Red Tail Mustangs, with Tuskegee Airmen logos. While it was a nine-inning home run derby competition, it was also a chance for remembrance not only of Drummond, but the past service members in the Army and Air Force who paved the way for African-Americans to serve their country and be part of one of the nation's largest labor forces. "The goal is to honor the past while embracing the future," said Jackie Jones-Hook, executive director for the Buffalo Soldiers Museum in Tacoma. "In order to keep the historic story alive of the Buffalo Soldiers and Tuskegee Airmen, we wanted to do something fun. It's a fun way to make history interesting." The Buffalo Soldiers were first formed in 1886 as one of the first labor forces during the Civil War in Fort Leavenworth, Kan. Regiments were formed from the 9th Cavalry Regiment, whose lineage traces back to JBLM's Fort Lewis roots, and 10th Cavalry Regiment as well as the 24th and 25th Infantry Regiments. The oldest member of the Buffalo Soldiers, Mark Matthews, passed away September 2005 at age 111. There are still a few Tuskegee Airmen living throughout the country but Drummond, who spent some time stationed at McChord Air Force Base and living in Lakewood after a 25-year career that included flying P-47s and F-80s and missions during the Korean War (1950-1953), was the last one living in the Pacific Northwest. Drummond was also part of the last graduating class of the Tuskegee Airmen in 1946. He was sometimes asked why he would want to serve in a country in which people were segregated based on their skin color, according to Thomas Gray of the Sam Bruce Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. based in Seattle. "He used to say 'This is my country and I would be much worse off with someone like Hitler in charge,'" Gray said. While the park was a host to representatives of both historic military groups, the highlight of the Labor Day event was a home run contest in which the Army Cannonballers outhit the Red Tail Mustangs, 57-54. Home runs were worth one point while softballs marked with a cannonball or a red tail were worth an extra two points. In addition to playing a fun game on a holiday break from the installation, JBLM service members were proud to honor the past service members who could not be there to celebrate as one military force. "It means paying tribute to the fallen who went before me," said Staff Sgt. Corey Stewart of the 1st Special Forces Group. At the same time, the majority of people at the festival agreed that if members of the Buffalo Soldiers and Tuskegee Airmen were participating, they would also be taking the field trying to earn some bragging rights within the friendly Army and Air Force rivalry. "You can't not support something like this when you get the chance," said Master Sgt. Russ Clifton of the 62nd Aerial Port Squadron.