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Missing soldier shocks Ariz. reservations
03/28/2003
By Lynn Ducey / Associated Press Writer

TUBA CITY -- In this wind-swept town on the sprawling Navajo reservation, an American flag flutters near a trailer home and a swing set moves in the breeze. A stream of solemn visitors silently pass by yellow balloons and signs offering support.

Pfc. Lori Piestewa is listed as missing in Iraq.
"The spirits are there and the angels have gone to keep her safe. Don't worry. We love you," reads one poster taped to a chain link fence.

Inside the home are the parents of Pfc. Lori Piestewa, who has been missing in Iraq since last weekend. The 23-year-old Hopi is the daughter of a Vietnam veteran, the granddaughter of a World War II veteran and a source of pride for Tuba City as one of the very few Indian women in the military.

"The town's kind of in a little shock," said one of the residents, Rick Holmes. "We can't have nothing done. We have to wait and see."

Piestewa is a member of the Army's 507th Maintenance Company, which was attacked by Iraqi soldiers last Sunday. At least two 507th soldiers were killed, and the Defense Department said eight more are missing and five are prisoners of war. Piestewa is among the missing.

This town of 8,200 people -- mostly a collection of government offices, a grocery store, a coin-operated laundry and a pizza parlor -- is marked by its dark red dirt and its tight-knit residents. It is on the Navajo Reservation but close to Hopi land.

"It's been a very sudden traumatic experience for everyone," said Vanessa Charles, spokeswoman for the Hopi Tribe. "These situations are the sort of things that bring people together. It unites people. It helps
people put their differences aside."

Officials from both tribes have attended prayer services in honor of Piestewa (pronounced pee-ESS-tuh-wah) and other military personnel. Hopi officials say she is one of 45 Hopis serving in the U.S. military.

Piestewa is shown with her 4-year-old son.
Historically, American Indians have enlisted in the U.S. military at higher rates than other groups. Defense Department officials say about 12,800 Indians are enlisted.

But as an Indian woman, Piestewa remains a statistical rarity.

Brenda Finnicum, a retired Army nurse and member of the Lumbee tribe, has researched the service of American Indian women in the military for five years and says many tell her they never met another Indian woman in the service.

"Indian women are what I call the invisible warrior. You don't see them," Finnicum said. But she said Indian women have fought in every American conflict for the last 200 years.

Piestewa's relatives say they aren't trying to draw attention to her.

"We are asking that you continue your prayers for all the brave men and women of the armed services and that you pray for their families as well," the family said in a statement.

They remains hopeful Piestewa, a mother of a 4-year-old boy and a 3-year-old girl, will return home safely with the rest of her company.

"We're just keeping the faith," said one of her brothers, Wayland Piestewa. "And sometimes no news is good news, so we're still hoping."

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Meanwhile, the town is doing what it can, regularly delivering food to the Piestewas, and messages of support. Many cars sport yellow ribbons.

Just inside the entrance to the Bashas' Supermarket, a large photo of Piestewa in uniform is surrounded by yellow roses and other flowers. Green poster boards have been set up to allow the community to write messages to the family.

"A lot of the community members wanted to express their feelings, but not everybody can talk to the family right now," said market employee Reva Hoover.

Teacher Marjorie McCabe said the uncertainty about Piestewa's whereabouts is hard to bear.

"It's just waiting to hear something. I wish the military would find out and let the family know," she said. "They need to know something more definite. The waiting must be killing them."

Associated Press Writer Michelle Rushlo contributed to this story.