| Listen, Ward: Real Indians Love America |  |
FrontPageMagazine.com | March 4, 2005
Posted on 03/04/2005 5:37:40 AM PST by SJackson
A Hate-America prof stands on my people's shoulders to spit on our country.
Ward Churchill wants everyone to think that Indians hate America. The truth is Indians love America, more than most people here. Today there are nearly 200,000 living American Indian veterans. That’s nearly one out of eight Indians. Churchill’s fake Indian voice, though loud, is way off-key. Real Indians honor America, and are quick to honor their warriors.
The percentage of Indians in the American military is proportionately higher than that of any other group, and Indians have been fighting for America since the war of 1812. Indians have served in all the major American wars, often without acknowledgement because they weren’t American citizens until 1924, when Congress declared them so. Indians serving in World War I, “the Great War,” served as volunteers.
In 1917, Chief Red Fox Skiuhushu went to Secretary of War Newton D. Baker, and pleaded, “From all over the West we now stand ready 50,000 Indians between the ages of seventeen and fifty-five. We beg of you, to give us the right to fight…our hearts could be for no better cause than to fight for the land we love, and for the freedom we share.”
Of course, there is much ambiguity about Red Fox’s identity, as with Churchill’s, but Red Fox was an honest representative of true Indians sentiments. That’s the critical difference. During the Great War, Indians were accepted in the military at nearly twice the rate of non-Indian inductees. Nearly two-thirds of the Indians had volunteered before the Selective Service Act of 1917.
The service of American Indians during WWII is renowned. There were code talkers from some sixteen different tribes. A new book on Comanche code talkers provides invaluable information on Indians in modern military service: William C. Meadows, The Comanche Code Talkers of WWII, (2002). Indian code talking began with Oklahoma Choctaw Indians in WWI.
Five Indians have received the Congressional Medal of Honor. There are many WWII combat heroes, like my Comanche uncle, the late USMC Lt. Col. Raymond C. Portillo, who earned his honors leading the 2nd Platoon of the “Able 8” in the Pacific. His son, my cousin Major Dave Portillo, a Gulf War veteran, recently completed a master’s degree at Quantico. His thesis involved the Comanche horse culture, and how it affected military tactics during the wars on the plains.
Indians are proud of their military service. I call this American patriotism. The Grand Entry of every Indian pow-wow opens with a flag song honoring of the American Flag.
In 1995, the Native American Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated in Denver. The American Indian Veterans Organization of Arizona is now creating a national monument in Phoenix to honor all Indian veterans.
The war in Iraq has seen more American Indian patriotism. PFC Lori Piestewa, a Hopi Indian from Arizona, was the first female American soldier killed in Iraq, March, 2003. They named a mountain in Phoenix after her, “Piestewa Peak.” Her brother Adam said, “We honor the warriors who have throughout history laid down their lives for their fellow man and preserved the God given right to freedom.”
Then there’s me, an Oklahoma Comanche who lobbied before the Oklahoma state legislature with the endorsement of Gov. Frank Keating, to create a bill to ensure the teaching of American patriotism in Oklahoma public schools. Of course, this has not yet come to pass, but I did manage to lose my teaching job at Oklahoma State University (OKC) over the publicity my efforts generated. (Call me a casualty of political war.)
Indians love America not for reward, but by natural affinity with the land. We do not serve for honor but because of honor. Indeed, many veterans return to Indian country only to find the same housing problems, and often worse healthcare problems. Purple Heart Sgt. Terrell Dawes was seriously injured in Iraq, returned to Texas in September, 2004) only to find that the Army failed to arrange for wheelchair assistance or give him pain medication, and shortly thereafter (Sept. 17) abandoned all responsibility for Dawes' medical expenses.
Indians serve the land of America because Indians love America. This is our home, regardless. Churchill hardly deserves a home anywhere. He certainly doesn’t deserve to be associated with American Indians. A criminal embarrassment and dishonor, his success was created by professional leftist backing through the liberals of the University of Colorado.
These people are still willing to use Indians and to misrepresent Indians, to advance their anti-American agenda. Indians should protest this and reaffirm our love and devotion to our homeland.
Great read, bump for later.
That is so true! I grew up in Okla where we had a lot of Native Americans. My paternal great grandmother was 1/2 Cherokee. I also have Cherokee on my mother' side. My brother in law is Creek and my other brother in law is Nat. Amer. and Hispanic. I have a lot of close friends who are Indian, mostly Cherokee, from Okla. They are all very patriotic and LOVE America. Some are Democrats, some are Republicans, but they all love America. And they all send me very conservative emails. Funny thing is that most of my Democrat friends send me very conservative emails. I keep wondering WHY they don't switch parties. I did, in 1972, I became Republican, while in college.
Wow a Yeagley article I can actually agree with... it's good. BTW, Lori didn't get the attention she should have gotten but I remember her.
The Choctaws were recognized as the first to use their native language as
an unbreakable code in World War I. The Navajo Code Talkers were also used in Korea in the 1950’s and in Vietnam in the 1960’s.
As some of you on here that I have developed a "friendship" with know, I am 1/2 Mescalero Apache. While I do not flout my Indian heritage, I do not shun it either. I served in the US Army for 6 years. Most of those with 3rd Ranger Battalion. America is my home and what I hold most dear.
Ward Churchill is not an Indian, he pretty much is not an American either.
There needs to be more visible support for Chistianity at pow wows. No amount of cultural self identity can stand independently and without acknowledgement of Christianity. Native American identity can not stand alone, in a vaccuum, on its own without some connection with Christianity. This is the reason that so much negativity has successfully permeated native americans culture. As the man said, the gates of hell will not prevail against his church.
Needs repeating.
Um... obviously, it must have done so for centuries, depending upon how you define "Native American".
If Iraq Can Get Its Country Back, Then Why Oh Why Can’t We?
http://www.imdiversity.com/villages/native/politics_law/pego_iraq_give_it_back.asp
BumP
Our culture is dying in front of our eyes and everyone elses. Multiple pow wows aren't anything more than freak shows. Christianity is sweeping the world and to stand apart from it is just so much pride.
I just read another article by the author, where he talks about journal that got him fired.... "It argued that Oklahoma’s conservative values should become a model for the rest of the country." I grew up in a VERY conservative Oklahoma where most people seemed to be "D". It is now a red state. The party left the people so the people left the party. The other article is at....
I Was Fired For Being a Conservative Indian
By David Yeagley
FrontPageMagazine.com | April 3, 2001
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=1946
I really have to take issue with you on this, Podkayne. Native Americans are entitled, as Americans, to believe in whatever they want.
They have indeed spoken with actions, which is a HELL of a lot more than many Americans of other races, cultures and ethnicities have done. Especially after the beating we gave them way back when.
I don't have any guilt about that, that is just the way the world was back then. But it has been my experience as well that Native Americans have put up with their hearts, when they had no reason to do so.
I appreciate the fact that you are Christian, and that is a good thing, Christian values are worthy of emulation by any culture even if they don't accept Christ. Please don't make a holy war here. You have no basis to call their beliefs a freak show, other than your own opinion.
If our culture is dying in front of our eyes, we should take care of our own first, and worry about others later.
Nothing personal here, you are probably a nice person and all, but I thought that was uncalled for.
Bob
Now that's a real American!
My kinda people.
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