A Buffalo Soldier is reburied at Arlington. Buffalo soldier Cornelius Charlton gave his life for his country in the Korean War and got a Medal of Honor for it. But not until this week did the Bronx, N.Y., native finally get the rest of what was coming to him when the Army sergeant’s remains were buried in Arlington National Cemetery – ending a half-century of mystery, bitter tears and a quest to fully honor the fallen young hero. Graying veterans from the Bronx who made it their mission to get a fellow Black soldier into the hallowed ground he had long been denied were on hand for the burial on Wednesday, reports The New York Daily News. “Finally, after 56 years, he is where he should be,” said Robert Gumbs, one of the veterans. “I know the sorrow my family carried in their hearts for decades,” said Zenobia Penn, Charlton’s niece. “My grandparents and my mother were bitter about the injustice.” Charlton died nine days shy of his 22nd birthday, showing extraordinary heroism. He was with the 24th Infantry Regiment, the “Buffalo Soldiers,” the last all-Black unit. On June 2, 1951, he took command when the platoon leader was wounded and led an assault on a hill near Chipo-ri. He killed six enemy soldiers before he suffered a chest wound. He refused medical aid and continued up the hill and was hit by another grenade. Before he died, he raked the enemy position with gunfire, eliminating it.  Eight months after his death, in February 1952, his parents were given his posthumous Medal of Honor. The medal qualified him to be buried in Arlington, but he was not. “The Army didn’t tell the family he was eligible. Was it administrative oversight or did race play a role?” Gumbs said. Charlton was buried in the family’s plot in East Gulf, W.Va.  The military says no one has been barred from Arlington because of race. Meanwhile, his fellow soldiers lobbied for Charlton to be re-interred at Arlington and got Rep. Jose Serrano and the United Spinal Association to donate two buses to transport the Bronx veterans and the Charltons to the ceremony on Wednesday.

Congress wants more for hurting homeowners. U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson announced a change in the economic rescue plan on Wednesday, saying the treasury won’t buy distressed assets of failing banks as originally planned but will look for other ways to sure-up the economy. Meanwhile, congressional leaders continue to urge Paulson to do more to help distressed homeowners and help the failing auto industry, which could cost the country up to 1 million jobs should it go under. Their pressure comes as mortgage companies report that 14 percent of the nation’s mortgages are in foreclosure. But Paulson said Wednesday that the $700-billion rescue package was designed for financial institutions, hinting that the Bush administration might not use the fund to bail out auto companies. “We care about our auto industry in the United States. They area key part of our manufacturing industry,” Paulson said. But he emphasized that the intent of the package “was to deal with the financial industry.”  The Treasury chief suggested that Congress could use the 25-billion-dollar loan program approved in September to help automakers develop fuel-efficient vehicles. The White House did say on Wednesday that it is open to any suggestions from Congress on how to help the auto industry. The Bush administration was not responsible for automakers’ problems, said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino, but she added the government knows the auto industry is very important to the American people and it will work with the companies and Congress to find solutions.

Detroit-area youths raise funds to sing to Barack Obama. A group of 44 choral students is working to raise $28,000 for a trip to January’s Heritage Inaugural Festival in recognition of Sen. Barack Obama’s presidency. Michigan’s Southfield High School Concert Choir is scheduled to perform at an inaugural ball and throughout the weekend. “I have voted in every presidential election before,” choir director Daryl Taylor tells The Detroit News. “I’m an African-American woman, and to go to something as historic as this is going to mean a lot for a lot of these kids.”

TAGS: Arlington National Cemetery, Buffalo Soldier, choir students, Congress, Detroit, economic, funds, homeowners, inauguration, obama

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