FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: Lori Piestewa ~ 17 April 2017

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[Kathy in Alaska]

 

Our Troops Rock!  Thank you for all you do!

For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces.

Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today!

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~ Hall of Heroes ~
Lori Piestewa

Info from here.

           

SPC Lori Ann Piestewa (December 14, 1979 – March 23, 2003) was a U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps soldier killed during the same Iraqi Army attack in which fellow soldiers Shoshana Johnson and Jessica Lynch sustained injuries. A member of the Hopi tribe, Piestewa was the first woman in the U.S. armed forces killed in the 2003 invasion of Iraq and is the first Native American woman to die in combat while serving with the U.S. military in world history.

Piestewa was born in Tuba City, Arizona, to Terry Piestewa and Priscilla "Percy" Baca. Her father is a full-blooded Hopi Native American, and her mother is a Mexican-American.  The couple first met in 1964, and married in November 1968.

The Piestewa family had a long military tradition; her paternal grandfather served in the U.S. Army in the European Theatre of World War II, and her father Terry Piestewa was drafted in the U.S. Army in September 1965, and served one tour of duty in the Vietnam War before he returned home in March 1967.

The Piestewa family resided in a trailer park in Tuba City, a town located on the Navajo Indian Reservation in Coconino County.[9] As a child, she was given the Hopi name Köcha-Hon-Mana (also spelled Qotsa-hon-mana, meaning White Bear Girl).  Her surname, Piestewa, is derived from a Hopi language root meaning "water pooled on the desert by a hard rain"; thus, Piestewa translates loosely as "the people who live by the water."

Piestewa was a member of the army's 507th Army Maintenance Company, a support unit of clerks, cooks, and repair personnel. Her company was traveling in a convoy through the desert and was meant to bypass Nasiriyah, in southern Iraq, during the opening days of the war; but the convoy became lost and ran into an ambush in Nasiriyah on March 23, 2003.

As Piestewa came under what an Army investigation described as "a torrent of fire," she drove at a high speed, successfully evading the enemy fire until an RPG hit the front-left wheel-well of her Humvee. The force of the explosion sent her vehicle into the rear of a disabled tractor-trailer. Three other soldiers in the Humvee died in the crash. Lynch attempted to fire her M16, but it jammed. Piestewa, Johnson and Lynch all survived but were wounded. They were taken prisoner along with four others, with Piestewa dying soon after of her wounds. A video of some of the American prisoners of war, including Piestewa (filmed shortly before she died in an Iraqi hospital), was later shown around the world on Al Jazeera television. According to Jessica Lynch's book—I'm a Soldier, Too: The Jessica Lynch Story—Piestewa was wounded in the head, and it was impossible to perform delicate neurosurgery in an Iraqi civilian hospital in wartime conditions (such as intermittent electric power). In a U.S. military hospital with reliable power and neurosurgeons available around the clock, she might have survived.

The families of soldiers in the 507th heard almost right away of the ambush and fatalities in the unit. The Piestewa family saw people in Lori's unit being interviewed by Iraqi TV, and for more than a week families of the two women waited for news. All around Tuba City signs were hung out telling people: "Put your porch light on, show Lori the way home." They used white stone to spell her name on a 200-ft mesa just outside the town

 

Piestewa was awarded the Purple Heart and Prisoner of War Medal. The army posthumously promoted her from Private First Class to Specialist.

Jessica Lynch has repeatedly said that Piestewa is the true hero of the ambush and named her daughter Dakota Ann in honor of her fallen comrade. In addition, many entities have honored her memory with memorials. Arizona's state government renamed Squaw Peak in the Phoenix Mountains near Phoenix as Piestewa Peak and this was codified by the US Board on Geographic Names on April 10, 2008; the freeway that passes near this mountain was also re-named in her honor. In addition, Senator Tom Daschle honored her, as did Indian Nations across America. Since her death, the Grand Canyon Games organizers have held an annual Lori Piestewa National Native American Games, which brings participants from across the country. A plaque bearing her name is also located at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico and Fort Bliss, Texas. She has also been memorialized with a plaque and ceremony at Mount Soledad Veterans Memorial in La Jolla, California.

Her death led to a rare joint prayer gathering between members of the Hopi and Navajo tribes, which have had a centuries-old rivalry.

In May 2005, Lori's parents and children had a brand-new home built by Ty Pennington and his crew on ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition accompanied by Jessica Lynch. They also built a new veterans' center on the Navajo reservation.

Thanks, Beachn4Fun, for the reminder about this hero!

Please remember the Canteen is here to honor, support and entertain our troops and their families.  This is a politics-free zone!  Thanks for helping us in our mission! 

[radu]

He doesn’t have a cell phone but as much traffic as there is on the interstate, I’m sure someone would have reported it. It hadn’t just started from what he said. Way too big - went on for miles.
With a front coming in, I pray it doesn’t get too windy and fan the flames even more.

[luvie]

Lordy, I hope it stays calm, too! That could be another real disaster in the making! It would be nice to have a rain without the wind.

That’s sort of what we had this evening. It was nice, and was good for the plants whether it was a lot or not!

I think I’m going to snoozzzzzze pretty soon. 5 hours of sleep even with a nap and I’m pretty sleepy. What a drag! LOL!

See ya tomorrow!

[radu]

This time of year we rarely get rain without wind. Depends on how strong the fronts are as to how strong the winds are. There was a nice breeze today that made it comfy outside but it was plenty to fan flames. I don’t know how much wind was in the mountains though.
At least that isn’t a heavily-populated area but I’d say a few people live there.

There was bound to be someone fighting that fire and Hubby just couldn’t see them. Then again, maybe they’re just protecting any populated spots and letting the fire clean out the deadwood. Who knows?

Good night and I hope you get more than 5 hours sleep tonight! See ya tomorrow.

[luvie]

A bit of good news...Primo railed tonight! Twice that I saw. Good job, big brother!

[radu]

Yeah, he was on the rail when I pulled up the cam the first time this evening. Almost missed a scap, my fingers were fumbling so much in excitement. LOL

The Berry babies are starting to branch now too.

Our baby birds are growing up fast.

[E.G.C.]

A very pleasant good Monday morning to everyone at the Canteen and to all our military at home and abroad. Thanks for your service to our country.

((HUGS))Good morning, Ladies. Thanks for this morning's thread, Star. How's it going?

[Jimmy Valentine's brother]

Thanks for the ping. Lest we forget the price paid for out freedom.

[luvie]

NEVER FORGET!!
CANTEEN HEROES

Tonk
tongue-tied
GrandEagle
Old China Hand
Diver Dave
Blackie
Lady X
NY Texan
Eaker
Arrowhead1952
...and SO many more!


...is every day...

[E.G.C.]

((HUGS))Good morning, LUV W. How’s it going?

[luvie]

Howdy, EGC! (((hugs)))

All is well here. We had a nice little rain...key word, little...an now it’s a beautiful 74° day. Just hanging out watching the DittoCam.

Hope you and Bo had a lovely Easter Sunday and a nice romp wherever you chose to spend the afternoon! :)

[E.G.C.]

Thanks, LUV W. We may do a ride in the country today. It's raining here in Oklahoma.

Also talked to my brother in Texas. He's going to get me a new computer to replace the one with the failing hard drive.

[Huebolt]

Vets such as I often forget it didn’t end with our ‘action’.

Bless you, Kokopelli is still very much here.

[luvie]

Oh, a nice drive in the rain will be good...just be safe, ok?

Glad you’re getting a new computer. No point in stressing over one that’s seen its best days, right? :)

[Kathy in Alaska]

Rest In Peace, Arrowhead. Thanks for helping honor our military,
and thank you for your service to our country.

[mylife]

Ahhh Kokopelli

I know more about Kachina than I should

[mylife]

TT made it to LT Commander as an LDO in the USN, retired on a Ranch In Nevada and promptly died :(

He was a fun filled SOB
Glad we had his company

Healy! Ukranian Bombers!

[luvie]

I, too, am glad we got to know him! He seemed so healthy and full of life when we were in Maine. RIP, Chris...

[mylife]

The last time we saw TT he was shopping for paintings for the ranch in Nevada while on the seaport in Maine

He had you busting a gut, the rest of us too.

Man I miss NYT.

Eaker has my respect as do all on the rolls.

[mylife]

He and Allegra single handedly kicked Saddam Hussiens kiester!

104th MI and 4th ID may have contributed :)

[jocon307]

RIP Lori Piestewa, thank you for your sacrifice. I remember this woman and her death.