173rd FW Commemorates Native American heritage, culture of service
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U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Robert Holster, a 173rd Fighter Wing dedicated crew chief and a member of the Choctaw Nation, explains how he commissioned nose art in memory of the first Choctaw code talkers, dating to WWI, November 6, 2022, at Kingsley Field in Klamath Falls, Oregon. The 173rd FW commemorated American Indian Heritage Month and featured a tour of the base and a ceremony in conjunction with the Klamath Tribes. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Jefferson Thompson)
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Robert Holster, a 173rd Fighter Wing dedicated crew chief and a member of the Choctaw Nation, stands with members of the Klamath Tribes in front of his assigned aircraft emblazoned with nose art he commissioned in memory of the first Choctaw code talkers, dating to WWI, November 6, 2022, at Kingsley Field in Klamath Falls, Oregon. The 173rd FW event commemorated American Indian Heritage Month and featured a tour of the base and a ceremony in conjunction with the Klamath Tribes. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Jefferson Thompson)
Article by Master Sgt. Jefferson Thompson. 173rd Fighter Wing Public Affairs.
KINGSLEY FIELD, Ore. - The 173rd Fighter Wing welcomed members of the Klamath Tribes and others of American Indian descent to a ceremony during Native American heritage month, on November 6, 2022.
Named the Indigenous Veteran Resiliency Event, local members of the Klamath Tribes and numerous former and currently serving military members attended the event.
Event coordinator, 2nd Lt. Jennifer Hall, the 173rd FW health promotion coordinator, welcomed all in attendance explaining that the ceremony, “honors those of you in this room that are currently serving and those that have served, those serving across the country and beyond, and for those that have fallen.”
Falling just days before Veteran’s Day, the ceremony highlighted the service Native Americans have rendered to the United States dating back to the Civil War.
One example was Gen. Ely S. Parker, a member of the Seneca Nation who served as Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s military secretary during the Civil War, said Col. Micah Lambert, the 173rd Fighter Wing vice-commander, during his remarks.
“American Indians serve in the United States’ Armed Forces at five times the national average,” he added.
Hall stated that since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, “19-percent of all American Indians have served in the armed forces,” and that 20-percent of Native American’s who serve are women.
History finds Native Americans in many iconic moments of military service including at Iwo Jima where Marine Cpl. Ira Hayes of the Pima people, was one of the six Marines who famously erected the U.S. flag there, said Lambert.
He added that 29 service members have been awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest honor the country bestows upon its military heroes.
Six currently serving 173rd Fighter Wing Airmen of American Indian descent were honored, including Tech. Sgt. Kanee Chocktoot of the Klamath and Modoc Tribes, Chief Master Sgt. Ryan Rainville of the Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Tribes, and Tech. Sgt. Angela Brown of the Piute Tribe, among them.
Also, crew chief Staff Sgt. Robert Holster of the Choctaw Nation explained how he commissioned nose art for his Kingsley F-15 Eagle, derived from the first code talkers of WWI.
He explained that although the Navajo Code Talkers of WWII are better known, it was during WWI that the Choctaw language helped American forces hide communications from the enemy, thus paving the way for their impact in WWII.
The ceremony concluded with a drum circle performed by the Klamath Tribes, a tradition dating back several thousand years and shared by many tribes across the nation. The Klamath Tribes brought the drum to the base and performed “Soldier Boy”, a patriotic song in homage to those who have chosen to serve.
The Klamath Tribes performed a drum circle, a traditional event dating back several thousand years, during a ceremony in honor of American Indian Heritage Month at Kingsley Field in Klamath Falls, Ore., November 6, 2022. The event featured a first-hand look at an F-15 and a ceremony where American Indian Veterans and current service members were recognized. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Jefferson Thompson)