Warrior Nation
2024-03-29T12:53:52Z
Chief Taz
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ESPN SportsCenter to broadcast from Academy on Veterans Day
tag:warriornation.ning.com,2015-11-10:6193495:Topic:446993
2015-11-10T22:43:11.246Z
Chief Taz
https://warriornation.ning.com/profile/ChiefTaz
<p>U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AFNS) -- The Air Force Academy is scheduled to host ESPN on Veterans Day for a live telecast of its flagship program, SportsCenter.</p>
<p>The Academy visit will anchor a week of network programming as part of ESPN's seventh annual America's Heroes salute.</p>
<p>SportsCenter segments from the Academy will be anchored by Hannah Storm and Kevin Negandhi, and are scheduled to air 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. EST with additional segments to air at 6 p.m. and during later…</p>
<p>U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AFNS) -- The Air Force Academy is scheduled to host ESPN on Veterans Day for a live telecast of its flagship program, SportsCenter.</p>
<p>The Academy visit will anchor a week of network programming as part of ESPN's seventh annual America's Heroes salute.</p>
<p>SportsCenter segments from the Academy will be anchored by Hannah Storm and Kevin Negandhi, and are scheduled to air 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. EST with additional segments to air at 6 p.m. and during later editions.</p>
<p>Additional ESPN programming from U.S. military bases will include the annual Armed Forces Classic college basketball game Nov. 13 from Okinawa, Japan; and ESPN2's First Take will air live from Westover Air Reserve Base, Chicopee, Mass., Nov. 9.</p>
<p>"As part of ESPN's company-wide recognition of our veterans and active troops, we are celebrating the proud men and women of the U.S. Air Force Academy along with troops from all our service branches," said Michael Fountain, ESPN’s senior coordinating producer. "SportsCenter's celebration will focus on veterans as well as those preparing to enter service.</p>
<p>Many popular athletes, coaches and celebrities will provide daily "shout outs" to members of the military within ESPN programming, including Dabo Swinney, LeBron James, Nick Saban, Les Miles, Larry Fitzgerald, JJ Watt, Mike Tomlin, Robert Mathis, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Spike Lee, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Andrew Luck, and Gus Malzhan. The tributes will appear on SportsCenter and other ESPN platforms.</p>
<p>SportsCenter elements from the Air Force Academy will include:</p>
<p>- Live interviews with former Air Force football player and Dallas Cowboy Chad Hennings and Air Force head football coach Troy Calhoun.</p>
<p>- Veterans Day vignettes voiced by retired Gen. Colin Powell and Air Force cadets.</p>
<p>- Wings of Blue: A profile on the award winning Air Force Academy parachute competition and demonstration team, narrated by Negandhi.</p>
<p>- Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger: Face to Face: Hannah Storm sits down with the Air Force Academy grad to discuss the lessons he learned as a cadet and how those lessons helped when he landed crippled U.S. Airways flight 1549 in the Hudson River in New York City in January 2009.</p>
<p>- Legacy/Day in the Life: SportsCenter follows two cadets who are twin sisters and tennis players during a day at the Academy. The feature includes a look at academy life and why the two chose to attend the Academy.</p>
<p>- Academy firefighters: A team of Academy firefighters, including Air Force veterans and active-duty personnel, is a world power at the World Firefighter Combat Challenge. Training and competing builds fitness, camaraderie and simulates skills needed on a call.</p>
<p>- Essence of Flight: ESPN's Tom Rinaldi writes and voices an essay.</p>
<p>- What Veterans Day Means to Me: ESPN national correspondent Sal Paolantonio, a Navy veteran, writes and voices.</p>
<p>The broadcast from the Academy will also include an appearance by two CV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft from the 27th Special Operations Wing, Cannon AFB, New Mexico.</p>
Caregiving from the VA
tag:warriornation.ning.com,2012-08-18:6193495:Topic:203487
2012-08-18T17:44:10.444Z
Chief Taz
https://warriornation.ning.com/profile/ChiefTaz
<p>My best friend and honorable husband is a 100% service connected vet. We just went thru a horrible time and he ended up in the hospital. I tried calling the crisis line for help and they wouldn't do a thing. I ended up calling 911, but I was very frustrated they (the VA) could not talk to me about my husband unless he called. He has a plethura of medical issues compounded by PTSD. I am so frustrated. He is granted 10 caregiving hours a week, but the agency we had now refuses to work with my…</p>
<p>My best friend and honorable husband is a 100% service connected vet. We just went thru a horrible time and he ended up in the hospital. I tried calling the crisis line for help and they wouldn't do a thing. I ended up calling 911, but I was very frustrated they (the VA) could not talk to me about my husband unless he called. He has a plethura of medical issues compounded by PTSD. I am so frustrated. He is granted 10 caregiving hours a week, but the agency we had now refuses to work with my husband because he can be mean (verbally). The care giver yelled in his face which triggered his PTSD and I am pushing for a protected service investigation. He had medical issues affecting his affect, add in PTSD and the character strength of my former US Army Ranger. Triple Canopy..nominated for the Congresional medal of honor during the Viet Naum War...I am so upset. We live on the Oregon coast and there are very few services here. And by the way, for anyone else out there. The care giving list for Veterans that need home health services has close to 100 people on it. They said we're lucky he gets 10 hours. Which now I have to wait for a whole new agency to do their thing and meanwhile I am having to manage things the best I can. I am trying my best to maintain some balance, but get so frustrated. Anyone else have this experience.</p>
OH Yaa! THE US ARMY CAMEL CORPS -Posted by ERIC SHARP on March 12, 2011
tag:warriornation.ning.com,2011-06-26:6193495:Topic:94214
2011-06-26T21:27:08.563Z
Chief Taz
https://warriornation.ning.com/profile/ChiefTaz
<a href="https://secure.lamaregistry.com/ilreport/2006July/images/Camel1.jpg">https://secure.lamaregistry.com/ilreport/2006July/images/Camel1.jpg</a><br />
<br />
THE US ARMY CAMEL CORPS<br />
Compiled By Ellen Jacobs 1996<br />
Edited by Floyd Farrar, Drum Volunteer August 2001<br />
<br />
For several years before the outbreak of the Civil War, the United States Army conducted an experiment using camels as pack animals in the Southwest. This desert region's punishing climate and terrain took a terrible toll on the horses and…
<a href="https://secure.lamaregistry.com/ilreport/2006July/images/Camel1.jpg">https://secure.lamaregistry.com/ilreport/2006July/images/Camel1.jpg</a><br />
<br />
THE US ARMY CAMEL CORPS<br />
Compiled By Ellen Jacobs 1996<br />
Edited by Floyd Farrar, Drum Volunteer August 2001<br />
<br />
For several years before the outbreak of the Civil War, the United States Army conducted an experiment using camels as pack animals in the Southwest. This desert region's punishing climate and terrain took a terrible toll on the horses and mules upon which the Army had always depended. The suggestion that camels might fare better than these traditionally used mounts under desert conditions was met with ridicule and opposition by some, but with eager interest by others. Read on and learn the story of this fascinating and little known episode in U.S. military history.<br />
<br />
THE BEGINNING<br />
Selling The Idea<br />
<br />
It was George H. Crosman, a U.S. Army second lieutenant who fought in the Seminole wars in Florida , who first proposed the introduction of camels to America . His argument, articulated here by his friend and fellow camel enthusiast E. F. Miller of Ipswich , Massachusetts , was:<br />
<br />
For strength in carrying burdens, for patient endurance of labor, and privation of food, water & rest, and in some respects for speed also, the camel and dromedary (as the Arabian camel is called) are unrivaled among animals. The ordinary loads for camels are from seven to nine to ten hundred pounds each, and with these they can travel from thirty to forty miles per day, for many days in succession. They will go without water, and with but little food, for six or eight days, or it is said even longer. Their feet are alike well suited for traversing grassy or sandy plains, or rough, rocky & hilly paths, and they require no shoeing...<br />
<br />
Reasonable though this was, no one in Washington took Crosman seriously, until he befriended Henry C. Wayne, a Quartermaster, and fellow major (Crosman had been promoted several times by then). Wayne was able to convince Jefferson Davis, a senator from Mississippi , that the Army should give camels a trial.<br />
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In his capacity as chairman of the Senate Committee on Military Affairs, Davis regularly advocated for the importation of camels on an experimental basis, but to no avail. It wasn't until Davis was appointed Secretary of War in 1852 that he was able to make an official recommendation on the subject of camels. Even then, it took another three years, during which time the matter was much discussed in the press, before the government took action. On March 3, 1855 Congress appropriated $30,000 for the project, and the stage was set for the birth of the U.S. Camel Corps.<br />
<br />
ADVENTURES ABROAD<br />
Getting The Camels<br />
<br />
The ship USS Supply, with Lieutenant David Dixon Porter in command, set sail from New York on June 3, 1855 . Aboard was Major Henry C. Wayne, charged by Secretary of War Jefferson Davis with the responsibility of procuring camels for the U.S. Army.<br />
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Upon arriving in the North African City of Tunis Wayne and Porter were so anxious to purchase camels, and so inexperienced, that they bought the first beast offered to them, which turned out to be sickly. They vowed to do better next time, but found that healthy camels were difficult to find. There was war in the Crimea , and most of the camels were there, carrying troops and supplies. They sailed again, for Malta , Greece , and Turkey , but had little luck in locating healthy animals.<br />
<br />
They were, however, learning about the camel trade. They learned that Arabians(one-humped camels native to the Middle East ) were best for riding, while Bactrians(two-humped Asian camels) were best for carrying loads. They also learned how to avoid sick animals, and that camel dealers sometimes artificially inflated a sick camel's hump to give it a false appearance of plump good health.<br />
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At last, in Egypt , they discovered a plentiful supply of camels, but government regulations forbade them being taken from the country. Many bribes and negotiations later, the USS Supply headed for home with 33 camels and five camel-drovers who had been hired to care for the animals en route, and to educate American soldiers about the animals when they arrived.<br />
<br />
The two-month trip home was far from smooth. There were storms at sea, during which the camels had to be lashed down in a kneeling position to prevent injuries. Also, the camel-drovers proved lax, and neglected their charges. Eventually, however, on April 29, 1856 , the Supply and its crew arrived at the port of Indianola , TX with 34 camels–one more than they had started with.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
THE EXPERIMENT<br />
Camels Vs. Mules And Men On U.S. Soil<br />
<br />
Once on dry land, the camels were given several weeks of rest before being taken to their permanent base at Camp Verde , 60 miles west of San Antonio . During this time, they were used only occasionally to carry supplies from town. Major Wayne enjoyed astonishing the locals by loading a camel with 4 bales of hay (weighing over 1,200 pounds, about four times what a mule could carry) and having it rise, grumbling and groaning for effect, but otherwise unconcerned, and walk away, hardly aware of its burden.<br />
<br />
Soon the camels took up residence at Camp Verde , and Wayne sent very favorable reports about them to Secretary of War Davis. However, Wayne and Davis had a falling out over whether or not to breed the animals ( Davis was against it) and eventually, in frustration, Wayne requested a transfer. A series of leadership changes followed; during which time the camels were put to little use. However, in June of 1857, the Camel Corps was assigned to survey the unexplored territory between El Paso and the Colorado River . The party, led by Edward Fitzgerald Beale, consisted of 25 camels, 44 soldiers, 2 camel-drovers (Greek George and Hadji Ali, whose name had been anglicized to Hi Jolly), and numerous horses and mules. At first, the camels did not meet Beale's high expectations, and often arrived in camp hours later than the horses and mules. But after a few days on the march, they hardened to their task, and soon outstripped the other animals, often leading over terrain where mules and horses balked.<br />
<br />
More importantly, the camels proved their mettle when the expedition became lost and its water supplies dwindled. Only the camels were fit to go on. They found a river 20 miles from camp, and led the expedition to it, then looked on with indifference as men, mules, and horses gulped the water they were desperate for. Triumphantly, the Camel Corps pushed on to the Colorado River , its mission a success. The camels had won over the skeptics among the party. There were others in Washington however, who had not seen the beasts in action, and who remained unconvinced of their worth.<br />
<br />
THE END<br />
The Fate Of The Camels<br />
<br />
When James Buchanan took office as President in 1857, he appointed a new Secretary of War, John B. Floyd. Although Floyd himself was a proponent of the Camel Corps, his commander of the Army in Texas , Major General David E. Twiggs, was not. In fact, Twiggs, "was outraged when he discovered a herd of camels under his command" (Yancey, p. 47). Though he admitted that he knew little of camels or of their potential fitness for military use, Twiggs's hatred of them was intense, and he barraged his superior with letters of complaint.<br />
<br />
The camels were also unpopular among some of the soldiers who worked with them. Some found the beasts bad tempered, and claimed that they held grudges against those who ill-treated them, waiting for a chance to exact revenge by kicking or spitting on their enemies. The camels' smell was also a bone of contention, as it was unpleasant to men, and caused panic and stampeding among domestic animals unfamiliar with the strong odor.<br />
<br />
In addition, the camels, though they performed splendidly when required, were not used often. Apart from carrying supplies, and making occasional surveying trips, the camels didn't do much, and were seen by some as a financial drain that brought little return.<br />
<br />
By 1860, the nation's mind was on the imminent Civil War, and the camels were all but forgotten. In the course of the War, the Camp Verde herd was little used by the Confederate forces who were in charge there. The same was true of the camels that had remained in California after the Beale expedition: they were cared for, but seldom put to use. In November of 1863, the California herd was put up for public sale. Camels were sold to zoos, circuses, mining companies, and a few individuals, such as Edward F. Beale, who allowed his camels to live out their lives in comfort on his ranch. The Texas herd was auctioned off in 1865, though some of the camels sold were later reclaimed as stolen property by the government, which promptly released them into the desert. The short, colorful career of the U.S. Camel Corps had come to an end.<br />
<br />
WHAT BECAME OF THEM?<br />
THE LEGEND: Phantom Camels And Others<br />
<br />
For years after the dissolution of the U.S. Camel Corps, camels wandered at will across the American desert. Bactrians, who had been bought and later set loose by a mining concern in British Columbia , drifted south to Nevada and Idaho . Many Arabians roamed through Texas , California , and Arizona . Although the last authenticated sightings of camels in the wild occurred in the early years of this century, there are locals who claim that the beasts thrive in remote areas to this day.<br />
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Among the many legends that arose concerning these animal army veterans who had been released to fend for themselves, none was more intriguing than the tale of the camel known as the Red Ghost. The first incident occurred in 1883, when a woman was discovered trampled by some beast, which left clumps of its reddish fur in a nearby thorn bush and huge hoof prints in the mud. Several days later, a large, unidentifiable animal careered wildly into a tent in which two miners lay sleeping. It too left behind hoof prints twice the size of those left by horses, and strands of red fur. More sightings occurred, and eventually the creature was recognized as a camel. A rancher reported that the animal carried a rider, and that the rider did not appear to be alive. This claim was proved when the beast was next seen, by a group of prospectors, who saw something fall from its back and roll away into the dust. The prospectors eagerly retrieved this object, which turned out to be a human skull.<br />
<br />
The Red Ghost and its now headless rider continued to terrorize the populace for the next decade. It was finally killed in 1893 by an Arizona farmer, who caught the huge red camel grazing in his vegetable patch one morning. When examined, it was found that the animal had at last shaken free of its grisly rider, though it still bore the leather straps with which the corpse had been attached. Who was the mysterious rider? How did he come to be tied to the camel, and why? No one knows but the Red Ghost, whose unwanted burden eventually drove him on to madness and death.<br />
<br />
U.S. Camel Corps remembered in Quartzsite, Arizona<br />
by Chuck Woodbury editor, Out West<br />
<br />
From Out West #18 ©2000 by Out West Newspaper<br />
<br />
One of the most interesting military experiments of the American West involved 77 camels and a Syrian named Hi Jolly. His real name was Hadji Ali, and he's remembered today at a pyramid-shaped monument in the Quartzsite<br />
<br />
Honored at Hi Jolly's grave in Quartzsite.cemetery.<br />
<br />
With the first shots of the Civil War, the Camel Military Corps was as good as dead. Most of the animals were auctioned off, although a few escaped into the desert where most were shot by prospectors and hunters as pests.<br />
<br />
Hi Jolly kept a few and started a freighting business between the Colorado River ports and mining camps to the east. The business failed, however, and Jolly released his last camel in the desert near Gila Bend. Years later, after marrying a Tucson woman and fathering two children, Hi Jolly moved to Quartzsite where he mined with a burro. He died in 1902 at age 73 and was buried in the Quartzsite Cemetery . To his dying day, Hi Jolly believed that a few of the camels still roamed the desert. Some people think the ghosts of some still do.<br />
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Pictured above is a monument to Hi Jolly and the U.S. Camel Corps<br />
<br />
Bibliography f>rom Web site: ©Ellen Jacobs 1996 ejacobs@vmsvax.simmons.edu<br />
<br />
Faulk, Odie B.The U.S. Camel Corps: an army experiment, Oxford University Press, New York , NY , 1976<br />
<br />
Fowler, Harlan D . Camels to California ; a chapter in western transportation, Stanford University Press, Stanford , CA , 1950<br />
<br />
Froman, Robert."The Red Ghost," American Heritage, XII (April 1961), pp. 35-37 and 94-98<br />
<br />
Gauthiers-Pilters, Hilde and Anne Innis Dagg . The Camel: its evolution, ecology, behavior, and relationship to man, University of Chicago Press , Chicago , IL , 1981<br />
<br />
Lesley, Lewis Burt ( ed.). Uncle Sam's Camels: the journal of May Humphreys Stacey supplemented by the report of Edward Fitzgerald Beale, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 1929<br />
<br />
Yancey, Diane. Camels for Uncle Sam , Hendrick-Long Publishing Co., Dallas , TX , 1995<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.drumbarracks.org/original">http://www.drumbarracks.org/original</a> website/Camel Corps.html<br />
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20th Century Warriors: Native American Participation in the U.S. Military
tag:warriornation.ning.com,2011-06-26:6193495:Topic:94311
2011-06-26T21:16:32.206Z
Chief Taz
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20th Century Warriors: Native American Participation in the United States Military<br />
(Prepared for the United States Department of Defense by CEHIP Incorporated, Washington, DC, in partnership with Native American advisors, Rodger Bucholz, William Fields, Ursula P. Roach. Washington: Department of Defense, 1996.)<br />
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<br />
<br />
A Long Tradition Of Participation<br />
American Indians have participated with distinction in United States military actions for more than 200 years. Their courage, determination, and…
20th Century Warriors: Native American Participation in the United States Military<br />
(Prepared for the United States Department of Defense by CEHIP Incorporated, Washington, DC, in partnership with Native American advisors, Rodger Bucholz, William Fields, Ursula P. Roach. Washington: Department of Defense, 1996.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
A Long Tradition Of Participation<br />
American Indians have participated with distinction in United States military actions for more than 200 years. Their courage, determination, and fighting spirit were recognized by American military leaders as early as the 18th century.<br />
<br />
I think they [Indians] can be made of excellent use, as scouts and light troops. --Gen. George Washington, 1778<br />
<br />
Many tribes were involved in 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.<br />
<br />
Contributions In Combat<br />
It is estimated that more than 12,000 American Indians served in the United States military in World War I. Approximately 600 Oklahoma Indians, mostly Chotaw and Cherokee, were assigned to the 142nd Infantry of the 36th Texas-Oklahoma National Guard Division. The 142nd saw action in France and its soldiers were widely recognized for their contributions in battle. Four men from this unit were awarded the Croix de Guerre, while others received the Church War Cross for gallantry.<br />
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The outbreak of World War II brought American Indians warriors back to the battlefield in defense of their homeland. Although now eligible for the draft by virtue of the Snyder Act, which gave citizenship to American Indians in 1924, conscription alone does not account for the disproportionate number of Indians who joined the armed services. More than 44,000 American Indians, out of a total Native American population of less than 350,000, served with distinction between 1941 and 1945 in both European and Pacific theaters of war. Native American men and women on the home front also showed an intense desire to serve their country, and were an integral part of the war effort. 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.<br />
<br />
Battle-experienced American Indian troops from World War II were joined by newly recruited Native Americans to fight Communist aggression during the Korean conflict. The Native American's strong sense of patriotism and courage emerged once again during the Vietnam era. 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.<br />
<br />
Native Americans As Warriors<br />
As the 20th century comes to a close, there are nearly 190,00 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. The reasons behind this disproportionate contribution are complex and deeply rooted in traditional American Indian culture. In many respects, Native Americans are no different from others who volunteer for military service. They do, however, have distinctive cultural values which drive them to serve their country. One such value is their proud warrior tradition.<br />
<br />
In part, the warrior tradition is a willingness to engage the enemy in battle. 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.<br />
<br />
Strength<br />
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.<br />
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We honor our veterans for their bravery and because by seeing death on the battlefield, they truly know the greatness of life. --Winnebago Elder<br />
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American Indian soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen have fought heroically in all of this century's wars and armed conflicts. They have not only been formally recognized for their bravery through military decoration but through anecdotal observation as well.<br />
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The real secret which makes the Indian such an outstanding soldier is his enthusiasm for the fight. --U.S. Army Major, 1912<br />
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More important, however, is the warrior's spiritual strength. Many traditional cultures recognize that war disrupts the natural order of life and causes a spiritual disharmony. To survive the chaos of war is to gain a more intimate knowledge of life. Therefore, military service is a unique way to develop an inner strength that is valued in Native American society.<br />
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Having a strong sense of inner spirituality is also a part of the Indian character. Many Native Americans are raised on rural or remote reservations, an environment that fosters self- reliance, introspection, and a meditative way of thinking. These character traits can be very beneficial when adapting to the occasional isolation of military life in times of both peace and war.<br />
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Honor, Pride, Devotion<br />
Warriors are honored - honored by their family and their tribe. Before going into service and upon their return, warriors are recognized by family and community. Recognition takes place through private family gatherings, or through such public ceremonies as tribal dances or intertribal ceremonies.<br />
<br />
My people honored me as a warrior. We had a feast and my parents and grandparents thanked everyone who prayed for my safe return. We had a "special" [dance] and I remembered as we circled the drum, I got a feeling of pride. I felt good inside because that's the way the Kiowa people tell you that you've done well. --Kiowa Vietnam Veteran<br />
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Being a warrior in traditional American Indian society gives one a sense of pride and a sense of accomplishment at a time in life when self-esteem is just developing. Becoming a warrior brings status to young men and women in their culture. The ceremonies that honor the warrior create a special place in the tribe's spiritual world.<br />
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After I got home, my uncles sat me down and had me tell them what it [the war] was all about. One of them had been in the service in World War II and knew what war was like. We talked about what went on over there, about killing and the waste, and one of my uncles said that God's laws are against war. They never talked about those kinds of things with me before. --Cherokee Vietnam Veteran<br />
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United States military service provides an outlet for Native Americans to fulfill a cultural purpose rooted in tradition -- to fight and defend their homeland. This purpose is particularly important since it comes when young people of the tribe are normally not old enough to assume a leadership role in their traditional culture. The cultural expectation to be a warrior provides a purpose in life and is an important step in gaining status in Native America culture.<br />
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When I went to Germany, I never thought about war honors, or the four "coups" which an old-time Crow warrior had to earn in battle....But afterwards, when I came back and went through this telling of war deeds ceremony... lo and behold I [had] completed the four requirements to become a chief. --Crow World War II Veteran<br />
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Native American warriors are devoted to the survival of their people and their homeland. If necessary, warriors will lay down their lives for the preservation of their culture, for death to the American Indian warrior is but another step in the advancement of life. It is understood that the warrior's spirit lives on eternally. So, warriors do not fear death, but rather regard it as the ultimate sacrifice for their own and their people's continued survival.<br />
<br />
Wisdom<br />
The warrior seeks wisdom. Wisdom, as used in this context, means the sum total of formal learning and worldly experiences. In wartime, those Native Americans seeing heavy combat had to learn how to survive, often using skills that may unit commanders thought were inherent to the American Indian's cultural background. A Sac and Fox/Creek Korean veteran remarked:<br />
<br />
My platoon commander always sent me out on patrols. He. . . probably thought that I could track down the enemy. I don't know for sure, but I guess he figured that Indians were warriors and hunters by nature.<br />
<br />
Many American Indians (as well as non-Indian volunteers) joined the military in World War I to satisfy their sense of adventure. Most had never left the confines of their hometown, much less marched on the battlefields of Europe. These experiences provided a wisdom through exposure to other people and cultures. This was sometimes threatening to the elders of a tribe, who feared that this newfound worldliness would cause unwanted change to their culture. Over time, however, this wisdom of worldly events and peoples was accepted by tribal leaders. Today, Native Americans are increasingly exposed to the non- Indian world through movies and television. Although the military is still an avenue for seeing the world, it has, in the latter half of the 20th century, also provided other types of wisdom. Military service offers excellent educational and job skill opportunities for Native American me and women who frequently come from educationally disadvantaged communities.<br />
<br />
Wisdom can also be gained from interaction with others. Military policy in the 20th century has preferred assimilating the American Indian into regular units. Although some divisions had more Native American troops than others, there were never all-Indian units. This meant that Indians and non-Indians were placed in close-knit groups, perhaps each experiencing each other's culture up close for the first time.<br />
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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<br />
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Similarly, intertribal relationships were developed, sometimes with a person who was a traditional "enemy." Many times these intercultural and intertribal contacts broke through stereotypes and resulted in lifelong friendships, friendships that otherwise might never have been cultivated.<br />
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Thanks to my military service [in the Navy], I now have friends in 500 tribes. --Lakota Korean veteran<br />
<br />
The Warrior Tradition Carries On<br />
The requirements for successful military service -- strength, bravery, pride, and wisdom - match those of the Indian warrior. Military service affords an outlet for combat that fulfills a culturally determined role for the warrior. Therefore, the military is an opportunity for cultural self-fulfillment. By sending young tribal members off to be warriors, they return with experiences that make them valued members of their society. Finally, the military provides educational opportunities, which allow Native American veterans to return to their community with productive job skills to improve their quality of life.<br />
<br />
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.
Subject: 1/2 Boy 1/2 Man
tag:warriornation.ning.com,2011-06-26:6193495:Topic:94504
2011-06-26T21:06:01.192Z
Chief Taz
https://warriornation.ning.com/profile/ChiefTaz
Posted by Larry Knowles on January 19, 2011 at 8:19pm in Veterans of the United States<br />
Back to Veterans of the United States Discussions<br />
Subject: 1/2 Boy 1/2 Man<br />
<br />
Amen!<br />
<br />
<br />
The average age of the military man is 19 years. He is a short haired,<br />
tight-muscled kid who, under normal circumstances is considered by<br />
society as half man, half boy. Not yet dry behind the ears, not old enough<br />
to buy a beer, but old enough to die for his country. He never really cared<br />
much for work and he would rather wax…
Posted by Larry Knowles on January 19, 2011 at 8:19pm in Veterans of the United States<br />
Back to Veterans of the United States Discussions<br />
Subject: 1/2 Boy 1/2 Man<br />
<br />
Amen!<br />
<br />
<br />
The average age of the military man is 19 years. He is a short haired,<br />
tight-muscled kid who, under normal circumstances is considered by<br />
society as half man, half boy. Not yet dry behind the ears, not old enough<br />
to buy a beer, but old enough to die for his country. He never really cared<br />
much for work and he would rather wax his own car than wash his father's,<br />
but he has never collected unemployment either.<br />
<br />
<br />
He's a recent High School graduate; he was probably an average student,<br />
pursued some form of sport activities, drives a ten year old jalopy, and has<br />
a steady girlfriend that either broke up with him when he left, or<br />
swears to be waiting when he returns from half a world away. He<br />
listens to rock and roll or hip-hop or rap or jazz or swing and a 155mm<br />
howitzer.<br />
<br />
<br />
He is 10 or 15 pounds lighter now than when he was at home because he is<br />
working or fighting from before dawn to well after dusk. He has<br />
trouble spelling, thus letter writing is a pain for him, but he can field<br />
strip a rifle in 30 seconds and reassemble it in less time in the dark. He<br />
can recite to you the nomenclature of a machine gun or grenade launcher and<br />
use either one effectively if he must.<br />
<br />
<br />
He digs foxholes and latrines and can apply first aid like a professional.<br />
He can march until he is told to stop, or stop until he is told to march.<br />
He obeys orders instantly and without hesitation, but he is not without<br />
spirit or individual dignity. He is self-sufficient.<br />
<br />
<br />
He has two sets of fatigues: he washes one and wears the other. He keeps his<br />
canteens full and his feet dry.<br />
<br />
<br />
He sometimes forgets to brush his teeth, but never to clean his rifle. He<br />
can cook his own meals, mend his own clothes, and fix his own hurts.<br />
<br />
<br />
If you're thirsty, he'll share his water with you; if you are hungry, his<br />
food. He'll even split his ammunition with you in the midst of battle when<br />
you run low.<br />
<br />
<br />
He has learned to use his hands like weapons and weapons like they were<br />
his hands.<br />
<br />
<br />
He can save your life - or take it, because that is his job.<br />
<br />
<br />
He will often do twice the work of a civilian, draw half the pay, and<br />
still find ironic humor in it all.<br />
<br />
<br />
He has seen more suffering and death than he should have in his short<br />
lifetime.<br />
<br />
<br />
He has wept in public and in private, for friends who have fallen in<br />
combat and is unashamed.<br />
<br />
<br />
He feels every note of the National Anthem vibrate through his body while at<br />
rigid attention, while tempering the burning desire to 'square-away ' those<br />
around him who haven't bothered to stand, remove their hat, or even stop<br />
talking.<br />
<br />
<br />
In an odd twist, day in and day out, far from home, he defends their right<br />
to be disrespectful..<br />
<br />
<br />
Just as did his Father, Grandfather, and Great-grandfather, he is paying the<br />
price for our freedom. Beardless or not, he is not a boy.<br />
He is the American Fighting Man that has kept this country free for over 200<br />
years.<br />
<br />
<br />
He has asked nothing in return, except our friendship and understanding.<br />
<br />
<br />
Remember him, always, for he has earned our respect and admiration with his<br />
blood.<br />
<br />
<br />
And now we even have women over there in danger, doing their part in this<br />
tradition of going to War when our nation calls us to do so.<br />
<br />
<br />
As you go to bed tonight, remember this shot. . .<br />
<br />
<br />
A short lull, a little shade and a picture of<br />
loved ones in their helmets.