Native-Americans in WWII

[K.Kocjancic]

We all know about Navajo tribe-men and their duty in Pacific; but where there any similar duties for Natives in European "front"?

Where there any special units just for them as for Afro-Americans?

What was their status in US Armed Forced? Were they treated same as Afro-Americans or worse/better?

Regards,
Klemen

[Necros]

I found this info under the following link:

http://www.runningdeeslonghouse.com/webdoc32.htm

During World War II more than 44,000 Native Americans saw military service. They served on all fronts in the conflict and were honored by recieving numerous Purple Hearts, Air Medals, Distinguished Flying Crosses, Bronze Stars, Silver Stars, Distinguished Service Crosses and three Congressional Medals of Honor.

The Iroquois Confederacy, having declared war on Germany in 1917, had never made peace and so automatically became party to World War II.

By the end of the war, 24,521 reservation Indians, exclusive of officers, and another 20,000 off-reservation Indians had served. The combined figure of 44,500 was more than ten percent of the Native American population during the war years. This represented one-third of all able-bodied Indian men from 18 to 50 years of age. In some tribes, the percentage of men in the military reached as high as 70 percent. Also several hundred Indian women served in the WACS, WAVES, and Army Nurse Corps.

I hope this can give you some of the info you were asking for. I'll see if I can find out some more.

Regards Mikael

[Wm. Harris]

Veterans Affairs put out a good publication on the thousands of native Canadians who served in WW1, WW2 and Korea. An online version is available at http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general/sub.cfm?source=history/other/native

The war proved that the fighting spirit of my tribe was not squelched through reservation life. When duty called, we were there, and when we were called forth to fight for the cause of civilization, our people showed all the bravery of our warriors of old.

- Mike Mountain Horse, First World War veteran