"We were warriors..." Veteran's Day

These are the memorial plaques for our Indian servicemen and women who served their country in disproportionate numbers in all our wars. The percentage of Native service people far outstripped the enrollment of other ethnicities, including Caucasians. The tribes represented here are denoting local people and their affiliations: Assiniboine-Sioux, Blackfeet, Crow, Little Shell and Rocky Boy Chippewa-Cree,  Choctaw, Navajo, Northern Cheyenne and Confederated Salish-Kootenai (Flathead)
I gleaned the following facts from Indian Country Today.
I honor all veterans today and remember the sometimes forgotten service of our First Nation friends. 
"Mitakuye oyasin" - We are all related ~ Lakota

12,000 for World War I
When World War I started, American Indians were not considered U.S. citizens, but that did not stop approximately 12,000 Natives from volunteering to serve in the U.S. military. In addition, four American Indian soldiers serving in the 142nd Infantry of the 36th Texas-Oklahoma National Guard Division received the Croix de Guerre medal from France.

A Draft Could Have Been Avoided
War Department officials have stated, that during WWII, if the entire population had enlisted at the same rate American Indians did, Selective Service would have been unnecessary. According to the Selective Service in 1942, at least 99 percent of all eligible Indians, healthy males aged 21 to 44, had registered for the draft. The annual enlistment for Native Americans jumped from 7,500 in the summer of 1942 to 22,000 at the beginning of 1945.

800 Native Women Warriors Strong
Throughout WWII, nearly 800 American Indian women served in the U.S. military. Elva (Tapedo) Wale, Kiowa; Corporal Bernice (Firstshoot) Bailey of Lodge Pole, Montana, Beatrice (Coffey) Thayer and Alida (Whipple) Fletcher are just a few of the servicewomen that served during WWII. These brave women served with such units as the Army Corps, the Army Nurse Corps and as WAVES, ‘Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service.

90 Percent Volunteer Through Vietnam Era
Throughout the Vietnam Era, American Indians enlisted in the military to the tune of more than 42,000 – 90 percent of them were volunteers, with the others serving trough draft selection. After Vietnam, Natives have continued to serve in high numbers. Since that time, Native servicemembers have seen military action and combat in Grenada, Panama, Somalia, the Gulf War, and in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation New Dawn (OND).

Navy Warriors
According to the 2012 VA report, nearly 50 percent of Native servicemembers served in the Navy in comparison to 14 percent of all other servicemembers of other ethnicities.

Five Years and You’re Out – Less for Officers
The VA also states that approximately 70 percent of Native servicemembers served five years or fewer and about 27 percent serve between six and 20 years. In terms of officers, only 6 percent of Native servicemembers were officers, while other ethnicities are roughly 2.5 time that rate.