It was the year 1924 when Native Americans were formally offered citizenship to the country called
the USA despite them living on the land much longer than the country had existed. Yet they
had enthusiastically volunteered to serve in the army during the first world conflict for the same
country before they were offered rights. In fact, Native Americans have served in the USA’s military
since colonial times. In the last 100 years, they have served at a higher rate in proportion
to their population than any other ethnic group. During the Vietnam conflict alone, more
than 42,000 native Americans and Alaska Natives joined the U.S. armed forces. Some believe that
due to poor military record keeping back then, the number, in fact, could have been higher. Welcome
to Nutty History and today let’s find out, How the Native Americans Served in the Vietnam Conflict.
Despite being the most enthusiastic community to serve in the Vietnam Conflict,
the media gave Native American soldiers next to no attention in contrast to the older generation
that served in the Second World War. Still, the native Americans from almost every tribe were
willing to put their lives on the line for their country. More than 77 tribes were represented by
the recruits between 1966 and 1973. Kiowas and Comanches from the southern plains; Cherokees,
Creeks, and Seminoles from the southern woodlands; Sioux and Blackfeet from the northern plains;
Chippewas, Sac, Fox, and Menominees from the Great Lakes; Navajos, Apaches, Tohono
O'odham and Hopis from the Southwest; Colville, Shoshone from the northwest plateau; Tlingit and
Haida from the northwest coast; Iroquois from New York, and Inuit from Alaska were just a few. There
was participation from natives still living in a tribal environment as well as those who had moved
to urban areas, aged 17 to 21 on average. For military recruiters, they were primary candidates
for the Vietnam conflict as they saw these men as natural fighters because of their heritage.
But apart from serving the nation, these young natives had their own reason to fight
the conflict as well. Native Americans were living on reservations back then, either in rural areas
or low-income sections of metropolitan cities. There was a severe lack of employment for them
because of obvious reasons. They were lacking the opportunity to work, opportunity to educate,
and opportunity to fight poverty. The military was the solution to all these problems and they were
able to study in the army thanks to the financial reward. It is unfortunate but native Americans had
to face a lot of annoying assumptions in the Vietnam conflict despite being part of the US
military for so many years. The commanders were generally afflicted by “Indian Scout Syndrome”
thinking that native Americans were innately good at utilizing their senses in nature and
could be stealthier than soldiers from other communities. This stereotype thrust natives into
perilous duties. It was common for native American soldiers in Vietnam to be assigned to walk point
on patrols and in large scale troop movements. The walking point was a hazardous job in Vietnam,
being ahead of the main body of the unit put them right in the crosshairs of snipers. They were also
prone to walking into an ambush, a concealed enemy position, or worse, step on a mine. A
Menominee from Wisconsin stated in an interview that his platoon commander thought that since
Indians “grew up in the woods" they would know how to track and have a “feel” about when something in
the immediate area of operations was disturbed or out of place. “Old Snoop and Poop” was the
name given to a Cherokee marine who seemed to draw the point position more often than not.
The phrase was often used in the Marine Corps to designate a man who was a careful and enemy-wise
scout. Another veteran, a Navajo from Arizona, corresponded with the typecast that native
Americans had been falsely labeled, and stated that it had made the conflict somewhat more
dangerous for him personally. In his own words “I was stereotyped by the cowboys and Indian movies
and was nicknamed “Chief” right away. It was claimed by others that Native Americans could
see through trees and hear the inaudible. Some even jested that native Americans could walk on
water.” Apart from walking points, some other jobs that were commonly assigned to Native Americans
were daytime outposts and nighttime listening posts. Again, putting them in a position where
they were supposed to take advantage of their “inherited talent of being attuned to nature.”
However, the most dangerous part of being a native American in the US military during the
Vietnam conflict was being selected as a member of the “Killer team.” A killer team was a small
undercover patrol sent into an enemy-controlled area to conduct hit-and-run raids. Often dressed
in conical hats and Vietnamese clothing, these teams were utilized tactically to scare enemy
sympathizers and to disrupt enemy troop movements. The teams were exposed to several dangers,
and being sighted and attacked by an American or a South Vietnamese unit was
the least of the hazards. As these operatives were supposed to look like Viet Cong members,
race played a crucial part in the selection of the team. A Caucasian or African-American soldier
wasn’t going to convince anyone that they were working for the Viet Cong. But native Americans,
Latinos, Polynesians, and Asian Americans were more believable to pose as Vietnamese.
Ironically, soldiers would also refer to these enemy territories in Vietnam as “Indian Country.”
The term was inspired by Wild West movies of the era that often-portrayed unfamiliar terrain of the
US inhabited by “savage” natives. As Viet Cong often use Guerilla warfare, the comparison was
drawn between American soldiers and cowboys of the wild west and also between their enemies.
As an outsider, observing American natives volunteering for military service could appear
as a paradox. The natives have suffered a long history of one betrayal to another. But those
who understand the culture of Native Americans know that for Native Americans, this country
is still their land and that is why they still feel the need to protect it and fight for it.
The stigma of every native American tribe having a warrior tradition is not true but history can
attest that many native Americans are great warriors. Patriotism is deeply planted in the
natives’ culture and despite the past, natives joined the military to do their part for the
country. For many native Americans, military service is an extension of their warrior
traditions. For others, by serving in the military they are reaffirming treaty alliances with the
United States. But there are the rest of them who serve for the sheer love of home and country.
Approximately 90% of more than 42,000 Native Americans who fought in Vietnam were volunteers.
There are 232 identified Native Americans and Native Alaskans on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Wall. It is believed that one of every four eligible natives served in the Vietnam War as,
during the Vietnam conflict, the total population of natives in the United States was less than a
million. Native Americans have protected their communities and lands for thousands of years.
Their culture still encourages them to take on a warrior’s traditional role. This call to protect
goes beyond fighting enemies. In pre-colonial times warriors cared for people and helped in
any time of difficulty. Their social values teach them to do anything possible to help their people
survive, including laying down their lives. Other duties performed by Native Americans during the
Vietnam conflict included driving trucks, desk work as clerks, and supply personnel. As Native
Americans were mostly assigned to infantry service, they saw a lot of combat and thus
garnered a number of combat decorations. But that doesn’t diminish the fact that they also suffer
considerable numbers of casualties. Due to poor record keeping, it is not possible to have the
exact number of Native Americans who were KIA but the estimates of physical cost are high.
The expected rate of Native Americans who were wounded or worse was nearly 30%. Like many other
Vietnam veterans, American Indians were often deeply afflicted by what they experienced. There
was also the matter of ridicule and criticism back at home. Many Native American Veterans like
any other veteran of Vietnam faced insults and ire in the cities. But their native communities
and reservations welcomed them back with open arms. Their communities sang honor songs for
them and praised them at banquets, powwows, and local events. That positive reinforcement
helped Native veterans in working through their injuries and trauma to resume their lives in the
civilian world. We hope you enjoyed this video, please share and like this video and subscribe
to our channels for more amazing content. As always, thanks for watching Nutty History.