Warriors in Uniform

by Herman J. Viola

Book Overview

Native Americans have willingly served in the U.S. military during each of this country's wars, and their current numbers in the armed forces exceed the percentage of any other ethnic group. Their... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1426201397
• ISBN13: 9781426201394
• Release Date: January 2007
• Publisher: National Geographic Society
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Bravo ! A moving tribute to the bravery and sacrifices made by Native American soldiers in America's

I came across this book in the gift shop of the National Museum of the American Indian (Wash DC) while looking for titles worthy of adding to our university library's collection. I picked it up, opened it to a page at random and -- expecting to find that this was just another "coffee-table book with beautiful photography" -- was surprised and deeply impressed by the quality of the writing. Immediately after I returned home from Washington, I acquired a copy and began reading a few pages a day, over lunch, during my breaks, over weekends -- I simply could not put the book down. This book -- obviously -- is the result of an experienced and truly talented scholar spending years of his life combing the nation's print and photographic archives, networking with former and present combat photographers and Native American veterans organizations, and utilizing the personal stories from a veritable Who's Who of Native Americans to create a book of true significance. The stories are compelling, interesting, and emotionally moving. Using a chronological arrangement to explore the role Native Americans have played in conflicts ranging from the American Revolution to Iraq and Afghanistan, the author's reliance on the personal stories of those whose bravery and exploits are profiled brings the stories "home." Readers that take the time to carefully read the text and look into the eyes of heroes photographed cannot help but be moved by their bravery and sacrifice. I particularly enjoyed the manner in which Viola and his contributors used ironic humor to educate readers and put issues and situations in context. For example, former US Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell remarks: "We had lived in this wonderful country for thousands of years before Christopher Columbus arrived...and mistakenly called us Indians because he thought he was in India. That is why we are called Indians. I can speak for all Native Americans when I tell you we are sure happy Columbus did not think he was in Turkey." And, he continues, "As you will learn from this book, the relationship between American Indians and the modern US military, with few historic exceptions, has been a strong one. I say a few historic exceptions because there was a time when some of our Indian people were in an adversarial position with the US military. The Seneca Nation, for example, burned and sank three US naval warships during the War of 1812 and my Cheyenne people did not welcome George Armstrong Custer and the Seventh Cavalry with open arms in 1876." And, in a description of the 65,000 Native American men and women who joined the armed forces or worked in the defense industry during World War II, the author relates the Indians' name they had for Hitler: "He Who Smells His Moustache." I bring these examples up to illustrate that the book is not a grim, depressing book, indeed, Viola and the other distinguished contributors tell the stories of the exploits of their friends and kinsmen with sincere resp