John H. Wooten III, better known as J.W. Wolfman Black, astride Arabian/mustang/Morgan cross Topaz, March 15, 2025, in front of the Buffalo Soldier Monument at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Black visited the monument before starting a solo ride, with Topaz and Lone as mount and pack horse, from Leavenworth back to his home in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Black said he planned to ride about 25-30 miles each day along side roads using GPS on his phone, before camping at night. He estimated the approximately 240-mile trip would take him about eight to 10 days to complete. Black, who is 75 years old and legally blind, lost his sight in an automobile accident in 1980. “When I heard Colin Powell dedicated a statue to the Buffalo Soldiers, I wanted to come up and get pictures with the statue and try to ride back to Bartlesville, Oklahoma,” Black said. He had initially planned to ride to Fort Leavenworth from Oklahoma, but decided to reverse the route so he could ride south on Highway 75 to coincide with the lyrics of the song “J.W. and Topaz,” written about him and his horse by musician Jack Settle in 2022.

J.W. Wolfman Black holds a treat in his mouth for his 28-year-old Arabian/mustang/Morgan mare Topaz while getting the horse ready to take photographs in front of the Buffalo Soldier Monument March 15, 2025, in the parking lot by Truesdell Hall at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Photo by Prudence Siebert/Fort Leavenworth Lamp

Legally blind horseman J.W. Wolfman Black positions his 28-year-old horse Topaz in front of the Buffalo Soldier Monument for photos March 15, 2025.

Wearing a reproduction Buffalo Soldier uniform, George Pettigrew, executive vice president of the Alexander/Madison Chapter - Greater Kansas City/Leavenworth Area 9th and 10th (Horse) Cavalry Association, holds quarter horse/mustang cross Lone as he talks with John H. Wooten III, better known as J.W. Wolfman Black, astride Arabian/mustang/Morgan cross Topaz, March 15, 2025, in front of the Buffalo Soldier Monument at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Black visited the monument before starting a solo ride, with Topaz and Lone as mount and pack horse, from Leavenworth back to his home in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Black said he planned to ride about 25-30 miles each day along side roads, avoiding the turnpike, before camping at night. He estimated the approximately 240-mile trip would take him about eight to 10 days to complete. Black, who is 75 years old and legally blind, lost his sight in an automobile accident in 1980. “When I heard Colin Powell dedicated a statue to the Buffalo Soldiers, I wanted to come up and get pictures with the statue and try to ride back to Bartlesville, Oklahoma,” Black said. He had initially planned to ride to Fort Leavenworth from Oklahoma, but decided to reverse the route so he could ride south on Highway 75 to coincide with the lyrics of the song “J.W. and Topaz,” written about him and his horse by musician Jack Settle in 2022.

Legally blind horseman John H. Wooten III, better known as J.W. Wolfman Black, salutes as George Pettigrew, executive vice president of the Alexander/Madison Chapter - Greater Kansas City/Leavenworth Area 9th and 10th (Horse) Cavalry Association, sits atop Black's horse Topaz for photos in front of the Buffalo Soldier Monument March 15, 2025, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

J.W. Wolfman Black saddles his 28-year-old horse Topaz for a photo session at the Buffalo Soldier Monument March 15, 2025, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.


J.W. Wolfman Black’s great nephew Marquis DeBouse helps Black saddle his 28-year-old horse Topaz for a photo session at the Buffalo Soldier Monument March 15, 2025, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. DeBouse has been traveling with his uncle for about the past two years to attend parades and other events to take photos and talk about Buffalo Soldier history. DeBouse drove his uncle and two horses to post from Oklahoma, and then dropped them off at a Leavenworth farm to camp for the night. He said his uncle, who started back to Oklahoma the next day, would call him if he needed him along the route, but he said Black wouldn’t want him to shadow him and he didn’t expect to hear from him until he arrived back in Bartlesville after the 240-mile solo journey on horseback. “He’s very tough, he’s very determined, and he figures out a way,” DeBouse said. “I usually step in when it’s out of his hands, but for the most part he takes care of everything on his own, and he’ll only have it that way.”Black took two horses, Topaz and Lone, on the journey, alternating every couple of days from the one he rides and the one that carries his tent, sleeping bag, fishing pole and change of clothes. He did his first long ride from Bartlesville to Fort Sill, Oklahoma with Topaz in 2016 and has conducted several two- to three-day trips since the pandemic.“Basically, to be a smart aleck about it, if a blind man can ride a horse and do this, what’s wrong with the rest of you people,” Black said about the mission behind his rides.

George Pettigrew, executive vice president of the Alexander/Madison Chapter - Greater Kansas City/Leavenworth Area 9th and 10th (Horse) Cavalry Association, right, greets legally blind horseman John H. Wooten III, better known as J.W. Wolfman Black, from Bartlesville, Oklahoma, left, and his cousin, Wayne Thompson, from Kansas City, Missouri, during a visit to the Buffalo Solider Monument March 15 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

J.W. Wolfman Black's great nephew Marquis DeBouse, Army National Guard veteran, holds 28-year-old horse Topaz as Black saddles the horse for a photo session at the Buffalo Soldier Monument March 15, 2025, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. DeBouse has been traveling with his uncle for about the past two years to attend parades and other events to take photos and talk about Buffalo Soldier history. DeBouse drove his uncle and two horses to post from Oklahoma, and then dropped them off at a Leavenworth farm to camp for the night. He said his uncle, who started back to Oklahoma the next day, would call him if he needed him along the route, but he said Black wouldn't want him to shadow him and he didn't expect to hear from him until he arrived back in Bartlesville after the 10-day solo journey on horseback.
"He's very tough, he's very determined, and he figures out a way," DeBouse said. "I usually step in when it's out of his hands, but for the most part he takes care of everything on his own, and he'll only have it that way."
Black took two horses, Topaz and Lone, on the journey, alternating every couple of days from the one he rides and the one that carries his tent, sleeping bag, fishing pole and change of clothes. He did his first long ride from Bartlesville to Fort Sill, Oklahoma with Topaz in 2016 and has conducted several two- to three-day trips since the pandemic.
"Basically, to be a smart aleck about it, if a blind man can ride a horse and do this, what's wrong with the rest of you people," Black said about the mission behind his rides.

George Pettigrew, executive vice president of the Alexander/Madison Chapter - Greater Kansas City/Leavenworth Area 9th and 10th (Horse) Cavalry Association, right, helps guide John H. Wooten III, better known as J.W. Wolfman Black, as he leasds his horses Topaz and Lone toward the Buffalo Solider Monument March 15, 2025, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Photo by Prudence Siebert/Fort Leavenworth Lamp

George Pettigrew, executive vice president of the Alexander/Madison Chapter - Greater Kansas City/Leavenworth Area 9th and 10th (Horse) Cavalry Association, looks at legally blind horseman J.W. Wolfman Black's Buffalo Soldier-inspired, personalized canteen during their visit to the Buffalo Soldier Monument March 15, 2025, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

George Pettigrew, right, executive vice president of the Alexander/Madison Chapter - Greater Kansas City/Leavenworth Area 9th and 10th (Horse) Cavalry Association, helps orient legally blind horseman John H. Wooten III, better known as J.W. Wolfman Black, to the location of the Buffalo Soldier Monument as they share stories about Buffalo Soldier history upon meeting March 15, 2025, in the parking lot by Truesdell Hall at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. “It’s inspirational that you are here because it is unbelievable what you are doing, what you dare to do,” Pettigrew told Black. “You seem like that kind of guy who’s got no quit in him. You say you’re going to do it, you do it.”