Native Americans serve country with distinction

In recent years, Wisconsin’s Native American tribes have continued their steadfast support of all Wisconsin veterans, assisting with a number of veteran initiatives and providing support for 2010’s LZ Lambeau, Wisconsin’s official ‘Welcome Home’ to its Vietnam Veterans.

Wisconsin’s tribal veterans have a long and proud history of military service, from the Civil War through the conflicts in the Middle East.

Native Americans from a number of Wisconsin tribes bravely served in several Civil War regiments.

Initially, Wisconsin’s war planners ignored tribal calls for enlistments, but as the war dragged on and casualties grew, Native American soldiers were eventually welcomed into the ranks. Once on the battlefield, Native American soldiers acquitted themselves well, fighting with great tenacity at places like Corinth and Vicksburg, and providing skilled assistance as master woodsmen and sharpshooters.

In 1864, the 40 or so Menominee of Company K, 37th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry took part in one of the Civil War’s most notorious events, the Battle of the Crater at Petersburg, Va. Tunneling from behind Union lines, a group of Pennsylvania coal miners planted a large amount of black powder underneath Confederate defenses. Once detonated, a giant crater opened up, soon occupied by charging Union forces, among them, Company K. Once the Confederates regained their composure, they fired down upon the exposed Wisconsin warriors. In all, 17 members of Company K were either killed, wounded, or became prisoners of war. Their gallantry, especially the efforts taken to prevent the capture of the regiment’s sacred battle flag, remains a proud chapter of Wisconsin’s Civil War lore.

The Medal of Honor is our nation’s highest military award for bravery above and beyond the call of duty. Wisconsin is proud to be home to 61 recipients of this award, including Mitchell Red Cloud, a Ho-Chunk. Decorated for his service with the Marines in World War II, Red Cloud re-enlisted in the Army at the age of 25 to fight in the Korean War. In the early morning of Nov. 5, 1950, 1,000 Chinese infantrymen ambushed Red Cloud and his battalion. Grossly outmanned, Red Cloud grabbed his Browning automatic rifle and emptied magazine after magazine into the charging Chinese troops.

A citation reads: “His accurate and intense fire checked this assault and gained time for the company to consolidate its defense,” even after he was shot twice in the chest and his assistant BAR man was killed. The citation continues, “With utter fearlessness he maintained his firing position until severely wounded by enemy fire.” At one point, Red Cloud climbed to his feet, wrapped his arm around a tree, and continued firing until his fellow soldiers could reorganize and eventually evacuate the wounded.

Members of all Wisconsin tribes are currently serving in each branch of the Armed Forces. The Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs continues to work with all tribal veterans and the Tribal Veteran Services Officers to ensure they receive proper care and assistance in the critical readjustment period after returning home.

John A. Scocos is secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs.

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