ARLINGTON , Virginia ( CNN ) -- It was a journey that took more than a hundred years . Cpl . Isaiah Mays was awarded the Medal of Honor after being wounded in an ambush in 1889 . Missing for decades , the remains of Cpl . Isaiah Mays , a Buffalo Soldier and Medal of Honor recipient , were laid to rest Friday at Arlington National Cemetery . Paying respects were African-American veterans , U.S. Army soldiers and those who rode for days as part of a motorcycle escort -- members of the Missing in America Project , who traveled from as far away as California and Arizona at their own expense to make sure Mays got a proper burial . None was a relative but they consider themselves his brothers . They stood shoulder to shoulder in an older section of the cemetery , surrounded by the graves of veterans from wars long ago . Some came in Army dress blue uniforms . Others wore uniforms like those worn by the Buffalo Soldiers , who served in the legendary all-black Army units formed after the Civil War . The crowd stood witness as a color guard folded the American flag and saluted when three rifle volleys pierced the air . A bugler , surrounded by the graves of other fallen heroes , played taps . William McCurtis , the regimental sergeant major of a Buffalo Soldier group , perhaps voiced the sentiment of everyone who came : `` One more out of 6,000 has his day of recognition . We need to get the rest recognized . '' Mays was born a slave in Virginia in 1858 but spent most of his life west of the Mississippi , joining the famed Buffalo Soldiers as the black cavalry and infantry troops fought in the frontier Indian Wars . In 1889 , he was part of a small detachment assigned to protect a U.S. Army pay wagon , which was caught in an ambush by a band of bandits . A gunfight ensued and almost all the soldiers were wounded or killed . Mays was shot in both legs . The bandits made off with $ 29,000 in gold coins . Despite his wounds , Mays managed to walk and crawl two miles to a ranch to seek help . He was awarded a Medal of Honor on February 15 , 1890 . More than 20 Buffalo Soldiers have received the Medal of Honor , the military 's highest award for valor . Mays left the Army in 1893 and many years later applied for a federal pension . But he was denied . He was committed to an Arizona state hospital that cared for the mentally ill , tuberculosis patients and the indigent . When he died in 1925 , Mays was buried in the hospital cemetery in a grave marked only with a number . Years later , a small group of hospital staff and veterans located his grave and arranged for a formal ceremony on Memorial Day 2001 . They were determined that Mays should not be forgotten . A few weeks ago , after receiving court permission , volunteers dug up Mays ' remains and transported them from Arizona to Washington so he could be buried with honor at Arlington . After the ceremony , those who gathered to honor Mays posed for photographs and , like good soldiers , they congratulated each other for a hard-won battle . Cpl . Isaiah Mays was finally home .
Cpl . Isaiah Mays served as Buffalo Soldier in late 1800s . Mays received Medal of Honor but was denied federal pension . He died in 1925 in an Arizona state hospital that took care of poor . Group of hospital staff , veterans campaigned for Mays ' burial at Arlington .