Contributions of Native Americans to the U.S. Navy PDF

12/14/24, 12:03 PM Print Document Contributions of Native Americans to the U.S. Navy Serving the Nation Since Its Birth Since 1776, when General George Washington began enlisting Native Americans for his Army, Navy, and Marines, Native Americans...

12/14/24, 12:03 PM Print Document Contributions of Native Americans to the U.S. Navy Serving the Nation Since Its Birth Since 1776, when General George Washington began enlisting Native Americans for his Army, Navy, and Marines, Native Americans have contributed significantly to the defense of our nation. During the Civil War, 20,000 Native Americans served with Union forces both at sea and on the land. During World War I, although ineligible for the draft, 15,000 Native Americans volunteered to fight in the Great War. Although Native Americans have been an integral part of our country long before its birth, Native American veterans weren’t awarded citizenship and voting rights until 1919. In 1924, voting rights were extended to all Native Americans after the Snyder Act was passed. In World War II, 44,000 fought with distinction, including 1,910 in the Navy and 874 in the Marines. For the Navy, two Oklahoma Cherokees distinguished themselves. Rear Admiral Joseph J. “Jocko” Clark commanded aircraft carriers and later a task force. Commander Ernest E. Evans was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle off Samar, Philippines. Between 10,000 and 15,000 Native Americans fought in the Korean War and more than 42,000 during Vietnam. In 1966, South Carolina Cherokee Boatswain’s Mate 1st Class James E. Williams, while serving at South Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, killed an unknown number of enemy forces while destroying 65 vessels and disrupting an enemy logistic operation. Williams was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the three-hour battle against Viet Cong guerrillas with the two riverine patrol boats he commanded. In the early 1970s, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Elmo Zumwalt sought to reduce racism and sexism in both the Navy and Marine Corps with Z-Gram #66 (Equal Opportunity) which benefited Native Americans immensely. Rear Admiral Michael L. Holmes and Commander John B. Herrington are notable examples of the new opportunities for Native Americans as a result of Zumwalt’s Z-Gram. Holmes served 32 years as a naval aviator, and Herrington flew for the Navy and later NASA, becoming the first enrolled member of an Native American tribe to fly in space. As of March 2012, active duty Native American military members numbered 22,248, with over half, 13,511, in the Navy. More than 160,000 Native Americans call themselves veterans today. Approximately, 15,000 active duty, reserve, and civilian members of the Navy’s total force declare themselves Native American or Alaska native. In the twenty-first century the Navy’s leadership remains strongly committed to diversity. about:blank 1/4 12/14/24, 12:03 PM Print Document ***** Historical Perspectives Native Americans Sailors in World War I: Wartime Graduates of Carlisle Indian Industrial School, an essay by Kati Engel, NHHC Communication and Outreach Division Notable Native Americans in the U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander Maria Emiliana Aquino Chief Warrant Officer 4 Solomon Atkinson Admiral Joseph James Clark Commander Ernest Edwin Evans Force Master Chief Petty Officer James D. Fairbanks Rear Admiral Calvin M. Foster Commander John Bennett Herrington Rear Admiral Francis J. Mee Commander Thomas Oxendine Chief Machinist's Mate Chapman Scanandoah Engineman 2nd Class Michael E. Thornton Vice Admiral Jeffrey E. Trussler Boatswain’s Mate 1st Class James Elliott Williams Select U.S. Navy Ships Named in Honor of Native Americans USNS Red Cloud (T-AKR-313) USNS Sacagawea (T-AKE-2) USNS Catawba (T-ATF-168) USNS Navajo (T-ATF-169) USNS Sioux (T-ATF-171) USNS Apache (T-ATF-172) USS Evans (DE-1023) USS James E. Williams (DDG-95) USS Choctaw V (AT-70) USS Chickasaw III (AT-83) USS Platte Pocahontas (Screw Steamer) Pocahontas (SP-3044) Pocahontas (YT-266) Cherokee (AT-66) Yaquima Wovoka Black Hawk II (AD-9) Wanamassa Winamac Waukegan Keywadin (ATA-213) Tioga (Launch) Wabash (AOR-5) Ankachak Accohanoc (YTB-545) Squanto about:blank 2/4 12/14/24, 12:03 PM Print Document Marine Corps Navajo Code Talkers: Native Americans in Our Sister Sea Service Navajo Code Talkers Dictionary Navajo Code Talkers: World War II Fact Sheet Navajo Code Talkers: A Select Bibliography Further Reading Indians in the War, 1945, Department of Interior publication from November 1945 Z-Gram No. 66, dated 17 December 1970: Equal Opportunity 20th Century Warriors: Native American Participation in the United States Military, Department of Defense publication from 1996 "Why We Serve: Native Americans in the United States Armed Forces," Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian publication from 2021 Graphics and Support Products Native Americans and Native Alaskans in the U.S. Navy infographics about:blank 3/4 12/14/24, 12:03 PM Print Document Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute (DEOMI) Support Products Jacksonville, FL (Nov. 22, 2006) - USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67) Command Master Chief Carl L. Dassance pounds on a ceremonial drum during a Native American and Alaskan Heritage celebration. Dassance, who belongs to the Ojibwa tribe, is also a member of the Native American organization, Family Drum, which acknowledges their heritage by playing their ceremonial drum weekly to honor Native Americans who serve in the Armed Forces. U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Nathan L. Anderson. 061121-N-6159N-001 about:blank 4/4