View Full Version : American Indians In The US Army
For those who were not aware of it, November was National Native American Heritage Month and the US Army has a site dedicated to the topic.
Focus is on the Comanche Code Talkers of WW1/WW2 and MOH awardees (including Van Barfoot, the retired COL who was in a fight with his HOA over his flag pole), but also includes some ROK, RVN, current Native Americans serving.
The RESOURCES page offers some good links for those interested in the subject.
http://www.army.mil/americanindians/index.html
Richard :munchin
"Van Barfoot was a Choctaw Indian from Mississippi, and a second lieutenant in the Thunderbirds. On May 23, 1944, during the breakout from Anzio to Rome, Barfoot knocked out two machine gun nests and captured 17 German soldiers. Later that same day, he repelled a German tank assault, destroyed a Nazi fieldpiece and while returning to camp carried two wounded commanders to safety."
An excerpt from the site. The honored members section has great material on a few guys. One of my best friends is a Navajo, and his family has a long tradition of service as well.
Coldsteel24
12-01-2010, 09:31
Thanks for the link Richard.
Being a member of the 45th, and father to 3 Comanche boys, I enjoy taking my kids up to the complex and showing them the veteran's memorial. They have a really awesome statue of a Comanche code talker with a "spirit warrior" whispering in his ear, and monuments with the names of Comanche veterans. It can be pretty humbling. :lifter
FWIW and some may not know - the 'crossed arrows' branch insignia inherited by SF were the insignia originally worn by the Indian scouts of the US Army - they had a USS (US Scouts) on them but it was removed when the insignia was resurrected for use by the FSSF in WW2 and then for SF today.
Richard :munchin
My father adopted a young Navajo boy, aged 11, when I was just 6. One day I just had a big brother. He served in the US Navy, married, returned to the Houke, AZ area, raised 3 children, all who have finished college. Grandchildren are now beginning to show up. He is a tribal Elder and singer, responsible to teaching young people old native ways, (sign, legends, etc.). His wife, also, a college grad teaches grade 6-12. In Kayenta, AZ - their is a USMC Code Talker museum. Exhibits are from the south pacific, captured Japanese weaponry, US radios, endless photographs.
If anyone is traveling to the canyon lands or parks out west this spring/summer - record Kayenta, AZ as a point to visit.
GratefulCitizen
12-01-2010, 14:44
In Kayenta, AZ - their is a USMC Code Talker museum. Exhibits are from the south pacific, captured Japanese weaponry, US radios, endless photographs.
If anyone is traveling to the canyon lands or parks out west this spring/summer - record Kayenta, AZ as a point to visit.
The exhibit is at the Burger King.
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Have a friend/coworker who grew up in Monument Valley in the Navajo Nation.
Joined the Marine Corps out of high school.
Received meritorious service promotions to E-3 by 6 months, to E-5 by 2 1/2 years.
Selected for the recon platoon in his battalion, combat veteran in Kuwait and Somalia.
Takes November 11th off every year.
Being a veteran is his proudest accomplishment.
About half my work is done in the Navajo Nation.
You can see in the yards, on the vehicles, and on the apparel; a fierce sense of patriotism, other disagreements with the government notwithstanding.
Veterans there are always highly honored.
Great stuff. As a Navajo and now working back in the Reservation area I have the chance to help with a few Code Talkers (they are dwindling) and have run into quite a few Vietnam era vets. Always a privledge to help one of our brothers.
ZonieDiver
12-01-2010, 17:36
Great stuff, Richard! Thanks for posting.
The exhibit is at the Burger King.
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**********
Have a friend/coworker who grew up in Monument Valley in the Navajo Nation.
Joined the Marine Corps out of high school.
Received meritorious service promotions to E-3 by 6 months, to E-5 by 2 1/2 years.
Selected for the recon platoon in his battalion, combat veteran in Kuwait and Somalia.
Takes November 11th off every year.
Being a veteran is his proudest accomplishment.
About half my work is done in the Navajo Nation.
You can see in the yards, on the vehicles, and on the apparel; a fierce sense of patriotism, other disagreements with the government notwithstanding.
Veterans there are always highly honored.
It is said that the Navajo nation has saved America on more than one occasion.
Notwithstanding, I propose turning loose all native brothers to dawn their war shirts and begin outting, taking scalps and hanging hides of groups willing to do us harm, but that's just me.
Doo hak'eh hoodez gl"ee da' nah 'ah baad di
It is said that the Navajo nation has saved America on more than one occasion.
Notwithstanding, I propose turning loose all native brothers to dawn their war shirts and begin outting, taking scalps and hanging hides of groups willing to do us harm, but that's just me.
Doo hak'eh hoodez gl"ee da' nah 'ah baad di
:D
500 Proof
12-04-2010, 03:44
This thread reminded me of Roy Benavidez who was a Yaqui indian. Apparently the tribe is closely related to the Apache, and shared a similar reputation.
It is said that the Navajo nation has saved America on more than one occasion.
Notwithstanding, I propose turning loose all native brothers to dawn their war shirts and begin outting, taking scalps and hanging hides of groups willing to do us harm, but that's just me.
Doo hak'eh hoodez gl"ee da' nah 'ah baad di
Request first target be the Westboro Church for their confidence target
...all native brothers to dawn* their war shirts...
Are you saying they need to wash their war shirts with the dishes as the sun comes up? ;) :D :D
Richard :munchin
* - 'don' - to put on (a garment, etc.); dress in (a certain color or material)
EX-Gold Falcon
12-06-2010, 22:47
Notwithstanding, I propose turning loose all native brothers to dawn their war shirts and begin outting, taking scalps and hanging hides of groups willing to do us harm, but that's just me.
Doo hak'eh hoodez gl"ee da' nah 'ah baad di
Careful, they might decide to reinterpret "groups willing to do us harm" as those who have done us harm as one in the same.
Nevertheless, who is to blame them?
T.
The 1st POW to escape NVA capture was also an American Indian:
Those captured at Hiep Hoa were SFC Issac "Ike" Camacho, SFC Kenneth M.
Roraback (the radio operator), Sgt. George E. "Smitty" Smith and SP5 Claude
D. McClure. Their early days of captivity were spent in the Plain of Reeds,
southwest of Hiep Hoa, and they were later held in the U Minh forest.
"Ike" Camacho continually looked for a way to escape. In July 1965, he was
successful. His and Smith's chains had been removed for use on two new
American prisoners, and in the cover of a violent night storm, Camacho
escaped and made his way to the village of Minh Thanh. He was the first
American serviceman to escape from the Viet Cong in the Second Indochina
War. McClure and Smith were released from Cambodia in November 1965.
greenberetTFS
12-07-2010, 15:18
Request first target be the Westboro Church for their confidence target
Interesting choice.I second it................:D;):D
Big Teddy :munchin
Careful, they might decide to reinterpret "groups willing to do us harm" as those who have done us harm as one in the same.
Nevertheless, who is to blame them?
T.
Guess what?
After careful review of the American Indian Policy, be it good or bad, dispite all broken treaties, compromises and deals, it is of the opinion that the American nation forming under the U.S. Constitution was in the long run, a good thing.
Had "it" remained a collection of colonies, constantly pulled between France, England, Spain, etc., no native indian tribe would have survived.
Had a group of pilgrams not left oppressive circumstances establishing a base of collective reasoning of personal freedoms, who is to say our founding fathers would have not just been opportunists.
A constitution was written, a new govt. formed, America became real. The first in world history to truely acknowledge the rights of an individual and to "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness". Alot was done, some things right, most things wrong, but could anyone agrue that the Indian Nation might have just dwindled into non-existance?
Maybe I'm wrong, but many tribal elders feel that their God sent, not just anyone to this continent, but the ones worthy of its blessing and natural resources.
Those that came, and who's purposes were not noble, selfless, carring and charitable were lost to bad weather, disease, in-fighting or just left to return home.
Suppose the Chinese remained and were successful in colonizing the Americas from the Pacific side, or the Swede/Vikings rolled south from Nova Scotia and stayed. Russia had several successful beach landing sites in Alaska, the lower 48 would have been easy.
Had a new country called America, not pressured European govt., to adjust policies in Australia, Somoa, Tonga, the Phillippines to re-think and adjust indigenous policies, the world would be a whole lot different.
Maybe it was divine, maybe we were just lucky, I'm betting the former.
Some years ago I went on a quest to find an old toy, a 1960's GI Joe to be exact like the one I had when I was a kid. I wanted one to show my son when he got older. One lead to another and before long I had a little business buying old collections and selling stuff.
At some point people began calling me for newer special series Joes which I didn't carry and had no interest in carrying.
One day someone called and ask me if I could find a Navajo Code Talker for a kid that won a contest at school and requested the item. But it wasn't any school or kid, it was a Indian School and a Navajo kid.
Then a lady called me and inquired about a MOH Roy Benavidez. It was for a newly born Granddaughter who was related to MSG Benavidez. The lady told me all about MSG Benavidez and sent me newspaper clippings about a parade honoring MSG Benavidez.
The majority of those two figures I sold to family members. And each and every time I got to hear a wonderful story filled with pride.
EX-Gold Falcon
12-07-2010, 21:51
Guess what?
After careful review of the American Indian Policy, be it good or bad, dispite all broken treaties, compromises and deals, it is of the opinion that the American nation forming under the U.S. Constitution was in the long run, a good thing.
Had "it" remained a collection of colonies, constantly pulled between France, England, Spain, etc., no native indian tribe would have survived.
Had a group of pilgrams not left oppressive circumstances establishing a base of collective reasoning of personal freedoms, who is to say our founding fathers would have not just been opportunists.
A constitution was written, a new govt. formed, America became real. The first in world history to truely acknowledge the rights of an individual and to "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness". Alot was done, some things right, most things wrong, but could anyone agrue that the Indian Nation might have just dwindled into non-existance?
Maybe I'm wrong, but many tribal elders feel that their God sent, not just anyone to this continent, but the ones worthy of its blessing and natural resources.
Those that came, and who's purposes were not noble, selfless, carring and charitable were lost to bad weather, disease, in-fighting or just left to return home.
Suppose the Chinese remained and were successful in colonizing the Americas from the Pacific side, or the Swede/Vikings rolled south from Nova Scotia and stayed. Russia had several successful beach landing sites in Alaska, the lower 48 would have been easy.
Had a new country called America, not pressured European govt., to adjust policies in Australia, Somoa, Tonga, the Phillippines to re-think and adjust indigenous policies, the world would be a whole lot different.
Maybe it was divine, maybe we were just lucky, I'm betting the former.
PM sent
cheers
T.
Got it, spot on, thanks. PM sent
cheers
T.
After careful review of the American Indian Policy, be it good or bad, dispite all broken treaties, compromises and deals, it is of the opinion that the American nation forming under the U.S. Constitution was in the long run, a good thing.
Who or what is the 'it' of which you speak??? :confused:
Richard :munchin