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Native people have
served in the United States military for more than 100 years.
According to the USO:
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Aside from the code talkers of WWII, many other Native
Americans contributed to the war effort. Of the 350,000
American Indians living in the country at the time, nearly
45,000 of them enlisted in the Armed Forces, making them
the demographic with the highest rate of voluntary enlistment
in the military throughout the entire war.
In certain Tribal Nations, 70% of the men of a single
Nation enlisted.
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Many of our Native people have earned the highest award for their
service.
In honor of Memorial Day, here are the first 10 Native Americans
to do so, according to the Congressional
Medal of Honor Society.
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Service: Army
Rank: Sergeant
Conflict: Indian Campaigns
Place of Action: Republican River, Kansas, USA
Date: 1869
Citation: Ran out from the command in pursuit of a
dismounted Indian; was shot down and badly wounded by a bullet
from his own command.
Notable: Mad Bear was the first American Indian enlisted
in the U.S. Army to receive the Medal of Honor. Though, according
to Jeff Broome's book Dog Soldier Justice: The Ordeal of Susanna
Alderdice in the Kansas Indian War, Mad Bear may have been
awarded the medal by mistake.
“On July 8, 1869, while chasing after a Dog Soldier
near the Republican River in Kansas, Mad Bear was thrown from
his horse and was badly injured when another member of his
unit shot him by mistake. According to Frank North (an American
interpreter, United States Army officer and politician), because
of the language barrier between the Pawnee and the Army, the
name of Mad Bear was confused with the name of another Pawnee
Scout, Co-Tux-A-Kah-Wadde (Traveling Bear). Traveling Bear
was commended for his actions during the Battle of Summit
Springs on July 11, 1869, and was given a medal mistakenly
engraved with Mad Bear's name. In fact, Mad Bear was not present
in the fighting at the Battle of Summit Springs, as he was
still recovering from his injury. Major Eugene Asa Carr's
recommendation and the document acknowledging the receipt
of the medal (bearing Mad Bear's English name and an “X”
mark for his signature) both reference the actions of Mad
Bear, not Traveling Bear. Due to the language barrier, the
Pawnee Scout names were misinterpreted and so, the name on
the medal was Mad Bear.” The error, while understandable,
has never been corrected.
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2. Chiquito
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Service: Army
Rank: Scout
Conflict: Indian Campaigns
Place of Action: Arizona, USA
Date: 1869
Citation: Ran out from the command in pursuit of a
dismounted Indian; was shot down and badly wounded by a bullet
from his own command.
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3. Blanquet
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Service: Army
Rank: Indian Scout
Conflict: Indian Campaigns
Place of Action: Apache Campaigns, USA
Date: 1872 – 1873
Citation: Gallant conduct during campaigns and engagements
with Apaches.
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4. “William” Alchesay
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Service: Army
Rank: Sergeant
Conflict: Indian Campaigns
Place of Action: Apache Campaigns, USA
Date: 1872 – 1873
Citation: Gallant conduct during campaigns and engagements
with Apaches.
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5. Elatsoosh
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Service: Army
Rank: Corporal
Conflict: Indian Campaigns
Place of Action: Apache Campaigns, USA
Date: 1872
Citation: Gallant conduct during campaigns and engagements
with Apaches.
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6. Jim
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Service: Army
Rank: Sergeant
Conflict: Indian Campaigns
Place of Action: Arizona, USA
Date: 1872
Citation: Gallant conduct during campaigns and engagements
with Apaches.
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7. Kelsay
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Service: Army
Rank: Scout
Conflict: Indian Campaigns
Place of Action: Arizona Territory, USA
Date: 1872
Citation: Gallant conduct during campaigns and engagements
with Apaches.
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8. Koshoa
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Service: Army
Rank: Scout
Conflict: Indian Campaigns
Place of Action: Arizona Territory, USA
Date: 1872
Citation: Gallant conduct during campaigns and engagements
with Apaches.
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9. Machol
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Service: Army
Rank: Private
Conflict: Indian Campaigns
Place of Action: Arizona Territory, USA
Date: 1872
Citation: Gallant conduct during campaigns and engagements
with Apaches.
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10. Nannasaddie
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Service: Army
Rank: Scout
Conflict: Indian Campaigns
Place of Action: Arizona Territory, USA
Date: 1872
Citation: Gallant conduct during campaigns and engagements
with Apaches.
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11. Nantaje
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Service: Army
Rank: Scout
Conflict: Indian Campaigns
Place of Action: Arizona Territory, USA
Date: 1872
Citation: Gallant conduct during campaigns and engagements
with Apaches.
Notable: Nantaje was one of ten Apache Indian scouts
hired by the U.S. Army for Lieutenant Colonel George Crook's
expedition against renegades in Arizona following the surrender
of Cochise in late 1872.
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