National Museum of the American Indian Hosts Veterans Symposium

Native News Network Staff in Native Currents. Discussion »

Joseph Medicine Crow

WASHINGTON - Since the time of the American Revolution, American Indians have served in the United States military and by percentage serve more than any other ethnic group in the armed forces.

The National Museum of the American Indian is hosting a symposium today from 3:00 - 5:00 pm called "Our Warrior Spirit: Native Americans in the US Military" in the Rasmuson Theater.

This symposium is designed so the public can learn about American Indians heroic and unforgettable stories while serving the country. This special program hosted by noted historian Herman J. Viola, curator emeritus at the Smithsonian Institution.

The program features a panel of American Indians who have served our country in the armed forces, including Debra Kay Mooney, Choctaw, an Iraq War veteran, who organized and hosted a powwow in a war zone in Iraq in 2004; Chuck Boers, Lipan Apache/Cherokee, an Iraq War veteran and the recipient of two Bronze Star and three Purple Heart medals; John Emhoolah, Kiowa, a Korean War Veteran who joined the Oklahoma Thunderbird Division when he was still in high school and later helped lobby for the passage of the Native American Religious Freedom Act; and Joseph Medicine Crow, Crow, a World War II veteran who was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009 by President Barack Obama.

The National Museum of the American Indian is located at Fourth Street and Independence Avenue SW. This event is free.

WHAT:    "Our Warrior Spirit: Native Americans in the US Military" Symposium

WHEN:    Friday, December 2
3:00 - 5:00 pm est

WHERE:    National Museum of the American Indian
Rasmuson Theater
Fourth Street & Independence Avenue
Washington DC

posted December 2, 2011 6:00 am est