This Veterans Day, coinciding as it does with the Armistice ending WWI, is a good time to remember Native veterans. As reported in Indian Country Today: ” When President Woodrow Wilson declared a draft in 1914 when World War I began, American Indians were not eligible for the draft – they were not considered citizens of the United States. However some 12,000 volunteered for military service in that war, according to a Department of Defense. (DOD)”
Down through the 20th Century, Native Americans have served in the Armed Forces at a higher rate per capita than any other group. DOD statistics in 2010 counted 22,569 enlisted service members and 1,297 officers on active duty of American Indian heritage. During the Vietnam War, when the draft had been implemented and did include Native men, 90 percent of the more than 42,000 Natives who served in the military during that conflict were volunteers.
Among the Native Veterans who have served with distinction, Sisseton-Wahpeton tribal member Woodrow W. Keeble was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery during the Korean War.
Minnie Spotted Wolf, of the Blackfeet Nation was the first Native woman to serve in the Marine Corps.
Dan Akee of the Navajo (Diné) Nation, a code talker in WWII, is featured in a view interview on the Library of Congress’ “Veterans History Project.”
Lori Piestewa, a member of the Hopi Nation, was the first Native woman killed in combat. She was the daughter of a Vietnam veteran and the granddaughter of a World War I veteran.
A mountain has been named in her honor. So has an education initiative for Hopi children and an annual motorcycle ride for fallen soldiers that traverses the Mountain West. Then there are the Lori Piestewa National Native American Games, which bring more than 10,000 Native Americans from 50-plus tribes to her home state of Arizona each year for a multi-day sports competition, the biggest such event of its kind—and a fitting tribute to her athleticism and competitive spirit.
Sources:
https://www.history.com/news/first-woman-to-die-iraq-war-lori-piestawa-hopi
