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THE NATIVE AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS PROUDLY HONORS OUR VETERANS AND THOSE CURRENTLY IN SERVICE
"We Used Our Language As A Weapon To Save Many Lives"
- William Kien, Navajo Code Talker
The Navajo code is the only spoken military code never to have been deciphered.
Navajo Code Talkers William Kien (left), Dr. Sam Billison (center) and Albert White (right)
The largest Indian participation in a war effort is that of the Navajo Code Talkers
who were honored by NAMA on Veterans Day.
On Veterans Day in November 2000,The Native American Music Awards honored the Navajo Code talkers with a NAMA Living Legend Award in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Code Talkers William Kien, Albert White and Dr. Sam Billison, President of the Navajo Code Talkers Association, were all in attendance to be honored with a Living Legend Award.who were honored by NAMA on Veterans Day.
They opened their recipient speech asking for a moment of silence for "All the veterans that are here. All the Veterans that didn't come back for all the wars".The Marine Corps used over 400 Code Talkers by the end of WWII. It was the Dine' people that developed a specialized dictionary to decode and decipher information.
"All Native American Indians look at the land as their Mother Earth. This is why a big percentage of Native Americans always come forward when there is a conflict with the United States," said Dr. Sam Billison. According to the Department of Defense, American Indians and Alaska Natives have one of the highest representations in the armed forces.
PGA Golfer Notah Begaye (Dine') and Dr. Richard West of the Smithsonian museum, presented the three Code Talkers with the Living Legend award. Billison,White and Kein accepted the award on behalf of the other Code Talkers. The three Code Talkers accepted the award on behalf of the others, many of whom have now passed on.
The last known surviving Code Talker, Chester Nez, died in June 2014. Following their appearance at the Awards, William Kien died in May 2003, Dr. Sam Billison passed in 2004, and Albert White, who consulted on the Navajo Code Talkers major motion picture, died in 2013.
Watch the Navajo Code Talkers Living Legend Award Presentation here:
NAVAJO CODETALKERS PRESENTATION
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Joseph Fire Crow & Wes Studi present
Adjutant for Iroquois Post #1587, Nancy Scott (Seneca)
with guitar, flute and CD set for Operation Music Aid
Joseph Fire Crow (left), Nancy Scott (Seneca) & Wes Studi (right)
At the 12th Annual Native American Music Awards held at the Seneca Niagara Hotel & Casino in Niagara Falls, New York, Host West Studi, and NAMA Award-winning artist, Joseph Fire Crow in cooperation with Operation Music Aid, provided musical instruments to wounded Veterans that helps in the rehabilitation of our Service Men and women.
Joseph Fire Crow and Wes Studi presented Adjutant for Iroquois Post #1587, Nancy Scott (Seneca) who served in Desert Storm, with a guitar, a Native American flute and Joseph Fire Crows entire CD collection to help servicemen and women suffering with PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Operation Music Aid's mission is to secure musical instruments of all types in order to help aid in the rehabilitation of our valiant men and women who have been wounded while serving their country.
You can watch the presentation here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It9UgBrIfLM
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HONORING OUR NATIVE AMERICAN VETERANS
There was a camaraderie [in the Air Force] that transcends ethnicity when you serve your country overseas in wartime.
--Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, Cheyenne Korean veteran
The real secret which makes the Indian such an outstanding soldier
is his enthusiasm for the fight. --U.S. Army Major, 1912
We honor our veterans for their bravery and because by seeing death on the battlefield,
they truly know the greatness of life. --Winnebago Elder
Native Americans share a proud history in serving our country, from the Code Talkers to Iwo Jima's Flag Raiser, Ira Hamilton Hayes, and the late PFC Lori Piestewa.
The US Navy states that there are nearly 190,000 Native American military veterans. It is well recognized that, historically, Native Americans have the highest record of service per capita when compared to other ethnic groups.
Native Americans have distinctive cultural values which drive them to serve their country. One such value is their proud warrior tradition. This characteristic has been clearly demonstrated by the courageous deeds of Native Americans in combat. However, the warrior tradition is best exemplified by the following qualities said to be inherent to most if not all Native American societies: strength, honor, pride, devotion, and wisdom. These qualities make a perfect fit with military tradition. To be an American Indian warrior is to have physical, mental, and spiritual strength. A warrior must be prepared to overpower the enemy and face death head-on.
Many tribes were involved in as early as the War of 1812, and Indians fought for both sides as auxiliary troops in the Civil War. Scouting the enemy was recognized as a particular skill of the Native American soldier. In 1866, the U.S. Army established its Indian Scouts to exploit this aptitude. The Scouts were active in the American West in the late 1800s and early 1900s, accompanying Gen. John J. Pershing's expedition to Mexico in pursuit of Pancho Villa in 1916. They were deactivated in 1947 when their last member retired from the Army in ceremonies at Ft. Huachuca, Arizona. Native Americans from Indian Territory were also recruited by Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders and saw action in Cuba in the Spanish-American War in 1898. As the military entered the 20th century, American Indians had already made a substantial contribution through military service and were on the brink of playing an even larger role.
It is estimated that more than 12,000 American Indians served in the United States military in World War I. World War II brought American Indians warriors back to the battlefield in defense of their homeland. More than 44,000 American Indians, served with distinction between 1941 and 1945 in both European and Pacific theaters of war. More than 40,000 Indian people left their reservations to work in ordnance depots, factories, and other war industries. American Indians also invested more than $50 million in war bonds, and contributed generously to the Red Cross and the Army and Navy Relief societies.
More than 42,000 Native Americans, more than 90 percent of them volunteers, fought in Vietnam. Native American contributions in United States military combat continued in the 1980s and 1990s as they saw duty in Grenada, Panama, Somalia, and the Persian Gulf.
With the 21st century on the horizon, the United States military can be expected to provide continuing opportunity for Native American men and women. For their part, Native Americans can be expected to carry on their centuries-old warrior tradition- serving with pride, courage, and distinction.
Native Americans have distinctive cultural values which drive them to serve their country. One such value is their proud warrior tradition. This characteristic has been clearly demonstrated by the courageous deeds of Native Americans in combat. However, the warrior tradition is best exemplified by the following qualities said to be inherent to most if not all Native American societies: strength, honor, pride, devotion, and wisdom. These qualities make a perfect fit with military tradition. To be an American Indian warrior is to have physical, mental, and spiritual strength. A warrior must be prepared to overpower the enemy and face death head-on.
Many tribes were involved in as early as the War of 1812, and Indians fought for both sides as auxiliary troops in the Civil War. Scouting the enemy was recognized as a particular skill of the Native American soldier. In 1866, the U.S. Army established its Indian Scouts to exploit this aptitude. The Scouts were active in the American West in the late 1800s and early 1900s, accompanying Gen. John J. Pershing's expedition to Mexico in pursuit of Pancho Villa in 1916. They were deactivated in 1947 when their last member retired from the Army in ceremonies at Ft. Huachuca, Arizona. Native Americans from Indian Territory were also recruited by Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders and saw action in Cuba in the Spanish-American War in 1898. As the military entered the 20th century, American Indians had already made a substantial contribution through military service and were on the brink of playing an even larger role.
It is estimated that more than 12,000 American Indians served in the United States military in World War I. World War II brought American Indians warriors back to the battlefield in defense of their homeland. More than 44,000 American Indians, served with distinction between 1941 and 1945 in both European and Pacific theaters of war. More than 40,000 Indian people left their reservations to work in ordnance depots, factories, and other war industries. American Indians also invested more than $50 million in war bonds, and contributed generously to the Red Cross and the Army and Navy Relief societies.
More than 42,000 Native Americans, more than 90 percent of them volunteers, fought in Vietnam. Native American contributions in United States military combat continued in the 1980s and 1990s as they saw duty in Grenada, Panama, Somalia, and the Persian Gulf.
With the 21st century on the horizon, the United States military can be expected to provide continuing opportunity for Native American men and women. For their part, Native Americans can be expected to carry on their centuries-old warrior tradition- serving with pride, courage, and distinction.
Information, courtesy of www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq61-1.htm
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- Army Spc. Lori Piestewa
December 14, 1973, - March 23, 2003
Lori Piestewa (Hopi)A Hopi Indian, Lori Piestewa was given special honors by tribal representatives from across the country because she was the first service woman killed in action in Operation Iraqi Freedom and the first known Native American service woman known to have been killed in combat.
The 23-year-old soldier from Tuba City, Ariz., died from injuries when her unit, the 507th Maintenance Company, was ambushed on March 23, 2003 near Nasiriyah, Iraq, by enemy forces in Iraq.
Piestewa was awarded the Purple Heart and Prisoner of War Medal. The army posthumously promoted her from Private First Class to Specialist.
A name plate of the late PFC Lori Ann Piestewa, the first Native American woman to die in combat on foreign soil in Iraq, is featured in a photo of the Camp Adder Memorial Wall on the last page of the book, "Two Scoops Of Hooah!: The T-Walls of Kuwait & Iraq"
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MORE ON THE CODE TALKERS:
The Code Talkers were most commended for their skill, speed, and accuracy
demonstrated throughout the war. These men sent and received over 800 messages, all without error.
The Navajo code is the only spoken military code never to have been deciphered.
demonstrated throughout the war. These men sent and received over 800 messages, all without error.
The Navajo code is the only spoken military code never to have been deciphered.
Using the Dine' language, the Navajo Code Talkers deeloped an unbreakable code used by the United States to help win World War II. Their code helped save lives of other American soldiers at the battles of Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal, and Okinawa, among others.
The Code Talkers project, along with similar ones involving the Hopi and Choctaw languages, had been kept under wraps by the government well after the war ended. When the project was declassified in 1968, the American public learned of the role American Indian soldiers payed in the war. Interest in the Code Talkers and their story has picked up in recent years including two competing movies.
The Code Talkers were most commended for their skill, speed, and accuracy demonstrated throughout the war. At the Battle of Iwo Jima, These men sent and received over 800 messages, all without error. They were highly credited that the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima. The deployment of the Navajo code talkers continued through the Korean War and after, until it was ended early in the Vietnam War. The Navajo code is the only spoken military code never to have been deciphered.The Navajo code talkers received no recognition until the declassification of the operation in 1968. In 1982, the code talkers were given a Certificate of Recognition by U.S. President Ronald Reagan, who also named August 14, 1982 as "Navajo Code Talkers Day". Following the Awards presentation, on December 21, 2000 the U.S. Congress passed, and President Bill Clinton signed, Public Law 106-554, 114 Statute 2763, which awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to the original twenty-nine World War II Navajo code talkers, and Silver Medals to each person who qualified as a Navajo code talker (approximately 300).
The Navajo Code Talkers finally received their long-overdue recognition when they were awarded Congressional medals of honor. The budget bill approved by Congress included a provision to award gold medals of honor to the original 29 Navajo Code Talkers. Silver medals would be awarded to those who followed int he footstepsof the original, who numbered over 300. The gold and silver medals of honor will be given to a family member of the Code Talkers who have since passed. Code Talkers From 33 Tribes Received Congressional Gold Medals. A plethora of Senatorial and Congressional notables were present at the awards ceremony.
“The code talkers, using their language… committed to the cause of freedom. Their sense of duty was never shaken nor was their resolve. Their patriotism never wavered nor did their courage. Their bonds of brotherhood were never broken nor were their codes. Their heroism and sacrifice and these contributions went unrecognized for too long. It is a privilege for Congress to bestow the Native American code talkers the highest honor we can bestow, the Congressional Gold medal,” Nancy Pelosi said.
The Third Annual Awards Show
Code Talkers Segment starts at 25:00:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuQiuNv_ACc
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NOVEMBER IS NATIONAL NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH
NOVEMBER 11TH IS VETERANS DAY
THE NATIVE AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS PROUDLY HONORS OUR VETERANS AND
AND THOSE CURRENTLY IN SERVICE
NOVEMBER IS NATIONAL NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH
NOVEMBER 11TH IS VETERANS DAY
THE NATIVE AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS PROUDLY HONORS OUR VETERANS AND
AND THOSE CURRENTLY IN SERVICE
The U.S. military is made up of five main groups - the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. About 22 million veterans live in the United States.