 Although there were conflicting reports on whether he retired from the Army in 1947 , 1949 or 1950 , he left the army only shortly before the Buffalo Soldiers were disbanded as part of President Harry S. Truman 's initiative to integrate the Army . His next job was at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda where he worked as a security guard . By the time he retired for a second time , in 1970 , he had become the chief of the guards at the institution . He spent much of his spare time fishing , reading the Bible , and recounting tales of his extensive military experiences , which made him a popular and respected figure within the community . His wife of 57 years , Genevieve Hill Matthews , died in 1986 and one of his daughters , Shirley Ann , died two years later . 
