Tom Holm - Strong Hearts, Wounded Souls: Native American Veterans of the Vietnam War

STRONG HEARTS WOUNDED SOULS

Native American Veterans of the Vietnam War

TOM HOLM

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS PRESS,
AUSTIN

COPYRIGHT 1996 BY THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS PRESS

All rights reserved

Second paperback printing, 2000

Material from Arthur C. Parker, Parker on the Iroquois, edited by William N. Fenton (1968), pp. 5253, reprinted by permission of Syracuse University Press.

Material from Gwynne Dyer, War (Copyright 1985 by Media Resources), pp. 9, 11, 1415, 18, 4749, and 104105, reprinted by permission of Wadsworth Publishing Co.

Three Warrior Songs from American Indian Prose and Poetry by Margot Astrov. Copyright 1946 by Margot Astrov. Copyright renewed. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Requests for permission to reproduce material from this work should be sent to Permissions, University of Texas Press, Box 7819, Austin, TX 78713-7819.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

Holm, Tom, date
Strong hearts, wounded souls : the Native American veterans of the Vietnam War / Tom Holm. 1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. )
ISBN 0-292-73098-5 (pbk.)
1. Indians of North America WarfareUnited States. 2. Vietnamese Conflict, 19611975Veterans. 3. Indian veteransUnited States. I. Title.
E98.W2H64 1996
959.704'34.dc20

95-4380

ISBN 978-0-292-75803-2 (library e-book)
ISBN 978-0-292-78873-2 (individual e-book)

DOI 10.7560/730953

DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF

RAYMOND CLARK, NAVAJO

U.S. Army, Vietnam

FELIX IKE, SHOSHONE

U.S. Marine Corps, Vietnam

LOUIS J. IKE, SHOSHONE

U.S. Marine Corps, Vietnam

BO KNIGHT, POTAWATOMI-CHOCTAW

U.S. Navy, Vietnam

JAMES MCCARTHY, TOHONO OODHAM

U.S. Army, World War I

JACK I. MILES, SAC AND FOX-CREEK

U.S. Army, Korea

ENOS POORBEAR, OGLALA LAKOTA

U.S. Army, World War II

WILFRED G. SAM, SHOSHONE

U.S. Marine Corps, Vietnam

DAVID SPOTTED CORN, CHEYENNE-ARAPAHO

U.S. Marine Corps, Vietnam

JODY (BLUESKY) STEVENS, CADDO-ARAPAHO-PAWNEE

U.S. Army Reserve

ROBERT K. THOMAS, CHEROKEE

U.S. Marine Corps, World War II

PETE TREJO, APACHE

U.S. Army, Vietnam

AL TRUJILLO, NAVAJO

U.S. Marine Corps, Vietnam

TABLES

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Because this book is largely the result of simply being around Native American veterans, it is as much theirs as it is mine. There are so many contributors, in fact, that time and space do not allow me to include all of their names. Some, in genuine humility, would not even want me to put their names in print. There are a number of others, however, who contributed so much that I cannot help but acknowledge them and express my deep gratitude. If there are any mistakes in this book, they are mine alone.

First and foremost, I must thank Harold Hodge Barse. Hodge started me on this project, kept me in touch with what was going on in veterans affairs, and got me appointed to two committees on Native American veterans. His contributions actually went far beyond helping me. Hodge inspired the organization of the Vietnam Era Veterans Intertribal Association and put Indian veterans, for the first time, on the Veterans Administrations national agenda. His hard work and number of accomplishments for our veterans are truly staggering; and he certainly deserves every Indian vets praise. I would also like to express my appreciation to Hodges wife, Les, and their two daughters, Sunny and Allie, for their hospitality and kindness. To say the least, I am deeply grateful to the entire Barse family.

I am equally indebted to Frank Montour, Robin LaDue, and Steven Silver. Frank guided the Readjustment Counseling Service working group on Native American Vietnam vets with patience, sound judgment, and great fortitude. He deserves at least two more Purple Hearts. Robin deserves a medal for intellect, insight, and spirit in the face of difficulty. She stuck with the RCS working group and the VAs committee on Indian veterans when most of us wanted to give up. She stuck up for the RCS survey when all of the higher level officials in Washington wanted to ignore it. Without question, she rates the title of Warrior Woman. Steves contributions are equally great. His wit, wisdom, knowledge, and commitment really inspired me to get this book in shape.

I want to express my appreciation to the following people for their hospitality, insights, generosity, and courage: Ed Yava, Mike Toahty, Jody Stevens, Mike Standing, Preston Impson, David Begay, Dan Brudevold, Jim Webb, Marvin Stepson, Ward Churchill, Pat Franco, Joe Lawe, Butch Knight, Johnny Botone, Jack Proctor, Joe Jojola, Bob Chiago, Jerry C. Bread, Lawrence Snake, David Ortega Shaw, Perry Horse, Lee Thundercloud, and Billy Walkabout. They are a group of outstanding men and I gratefully acknowledge their friendship.

I would also like to thank David Wilkins, his wife, Evelyn, and their children for their friendship and encouragement. I value Davids support and perceptive comments. My colleagues Jay Stauss, Michelle Taigue, Ophelia Zepeda, Vine Deloria, Jr., and James Clarke were equally supportive and thoughtful. Special thanks also go to Mike Davis and Don Fixico, who read and commented on the manuscript. Every would-be author should have people like them look over their work. Their comments on the content of the manuscript and my use (or abuse) of the English language were extremely helpful. Thanks also to Theresa J. May, assistant director and executive editor of the University of Texas Press, for believing in and shepherding me through the entire publishing process. I am equally grateful to Vicki Woodruff, also of the University of Texas Press, for copyediting the original manuscript and making it a much more readable product. I must also express my indebtedness to the best word processor at the University of Arizona, Trisha Morris. She can do it all.

Too often in academia, we fail to mention the help we receive from our graduate students. I do not want to make that mistake. I am very lucky to have had Elise Marubbio, Beth Leaman, James Cedric Woods, Charles England, Sam Cook, Jim Davis, Jeff Boyd, and Earnie Frost (Jeff and Earnie are themselves Native American veterans of the Vietnam War) as students and assistants. Ive bounced ideas off them, had them proctor exams, and sent them to check things in the library. Their kind of enthusiasm, intelligence, and willingness to work hard makes academia worthwhile.

Finally, I want to express my everlasting gratitude to my family. I remember with love and deepest respect my mother, my grandparents, and my uncles and aunts who have passed on. They gave me life and my tribal identity. But most importantly, I want to thank my wife, Ina, and our sons, Garett and Mike, for the honor they have done me and for the support and love they never fail to give.

T. H.

1.
FORGOTTEN WARRIORS

It was nearly daybreak before the gathering began to break up. The twenty or so middle-aged Native American men who had spent those early morning hours together in a tiny dormitory room had been engaged in animated conversation: reliving vivid memories, swapping stories, and striving to put into words their thoughts and feelings about the event they had shared the evening before. The shared event was the first National Vietnam Veterans Pow-wow, held on December 11, 1982, at the Heart of Oklahoma Expo Center in Shawnee. And judging from the electric atmosphere prevailing in the room and from the excitement and genuine feelings of joy in the veterans voices, the pow-wow had been an uplifting, powerful, and mystical experience that few of them would ever forget.