Honoring Native American veterans

The US Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia.

Native Americans have a long history of serving in our military. Since the Civil War, they’ve taken part in armed conflicts as U.S. soldiers. In fact, the terms of surrender between the North and South were written by Ely S. Parker, one of two American Indians to reach the rank of brigadier general during the Civil War.

Earlier this year, the United States Government announced the construction of a $15 million memorial celebrating Native American service members and veterans in Washington, D.C. In honor of Veterans Day on November 11, here are some of their achievements.

World War II
As many as 44,000 Native Americans joined the military during World War II. They saw their first engagement in the Pacific Theater and were involved in many critical battles. Notably, they fought at Iwo Jima, where the iconic picture of native soldier, Ira Hayes, raising the American flag with four of his fellow soldiers, was taken.

In addition, Native American code talkers played a crucial role in the war effort. Native soldiers formed telephone squads and together they used their native languages to craft coded messages. In fact, the United States asked soldiers from a variety of tribes to develop secret combat communication systems. Their codes were never broken.

Today
Over 31,000 Native Americans serve in the Armed Forces today. They continue to be active in the military, serving all around the world.

After 9/11, a large number of newly enrolled soldiers were Native Americans.

Approximately 140,000 veterans alive today are Native American.

This Veterans Day, take a moment to remember the long-standing involvement of Native Americans in our nation’s military history.