This Friday, Nov 11th is Veteran's Day. In other countries it is designated as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day, but to American Indians it is truly a Sacred day for tradition.

Being from a large Southern family with many Veterans, I share in the tradition of honoring all warriors. But many don't know about the vast number of American Indians who have served and their dramatic contributions. This week's article shares some of the details.

Veteran's Day with a Native Perspective

This article was like piecing together a puzzle, and most definitely a learning experience! With so much military history, there are thousands of pieces to this puzzle, each with a story.
One of the best ways to honor those who have served is to share their stories.

Please join us and share a story for Veteran's Day.

I had heard about Code Talkers in World War I, but had no idea this was started by Cherokee and Choctaw soldiers.

According to Wikipedia, Company Commander Cpt. Lawrence overhearing two of his soldiers talking got it started. There were 6 more Choctaw in that battalion, and another 6 in the Division.

The Choctaw Code was developed just in time to be used during the last German surge in France. Within 24 hours of its use, their advance had been stalled. Within 3 days, the Germans were retreating.

An overheard conversation between Solomon Louis and Mitchell Bobb ended up helping defeat the invading Germans in World War I.

Here's another story for Veteran's Day, previously shared by Phyllis. Thanks for this great article!

Ira Hayes Immortalized In Time

Learning about the different Code Talkers was fascinating. In World War II, the Marines used Navajo and the Army used Cherokee, Choctaw, Comanche, Meskwaki, and Lakota.

The codes that were established used substitutions to increase their strength against being cracked. In Comanche, the word "Turtle" was used for tank, and "Sewing Machine" was code for machine gun. Hitler had a Comanche code name too, it translates as "Crazy White Man."

Hi Jane,
New to this posting but wanted to reply to your Veteran's Day writing and our Native patriotism. In my growing up, I remember being taken to our Pawnee tribal 'gatherings' by my grandparents and still remember the Veteran's Day events during WWII - the beautiful shawls our women wore - decorated with ribbons and beads, sometimes with their sons and relations names on them. The few remaining veterans from WWI sat in places of honor. Yes, our Indian people have a lengthy history of patriotism and love for our country. I hope it is still being carried on among all the tribes throughout our country.

Welcome to the forum NDNriter76,
I've not been fortunate to attend gatherings outside of the southern US, except for one up in CT many years ago.

At every event I have attended down here, respecting and honoring all veterans remains an important part, just as with the Pawnee. Several of my friends, and I, have military pins we wear in honor of our family veterans on our shawls and/or regalia. Others include service and campaign patches.

My best friend joined us at Strong Sun Pow Wow in NC this past July. It was her first time attending an event. She was quite impressed and commented on the respect and honor paid to all veterans there.

Thank you again for joining us. We would certainly enjoy other memories you can share of the Pawnee gatherings you attended with your Grandparents. Please feel free to start a new topic so we can learn more of the Pawnee.