Medal of Honor given to Sioux for heroism

[cloudy]

Well, it's about damn time...

Nation's highest military for valor in North Korea; sergeant died in 1982

Keeble is the first full-blooded Sioux Indian to receive the nation’s highest military award. But it came almost six decades after he saved the lives of fellow soldiers. Keeble died in 1982.

Fellow soldiers, family members and others have been pushing Congress and the White House for years to award Keeble the medal. They said the man known as “Chief,” a member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux tribe, deserves the medal for his actions in Korea in 1951, when he saved the lives of other soldiers by taking out more than a dozen of their enemies on a steep hill, even though he himself was wounded.

“Some blamed the bureaucracy for a shameful blunder,” Bush said. “Others suspected racism — Woody was a full-blooded Sioux Indian. Whatever the reason, the first Sioux to ever receive the Medal of Honor died without knowing it was his.”

Full story here.

 

[rgraham666]

Yay.

But the powers that be often take their time giving military awards to minorities.

Take the 761st Tank Battalion for example. Although a highly distinguished and accomplished unit they didn't get their Distinguished Unit Citation until Jimmy Carter was President.

 

[Pure]

thanks, cloudy!

 

[ABSTRUSE]

YAY!!!

 

[DesertPirate]

Salute to one who earned it!

 

[rengadeirishman]

if you dont mind my asking, whats your nation Cloudy?

 

[Salvor-Hardon]

Congratualtions, Sergeant. Just reading that article and what he accomplished made me shiver.

 

[Jenny_Jackson]

Cloudy, I saw this article a couple days ago. It's beyond sad that both the native americans and Japanese who fought for this country have been treated badly this way. This is only one of a number of cases I know of where the MOH was withheld for decades because of ethnic background. It's time for this country to grow the hell up.

 

[R. Richard]

I was not aware of the withholding of the medal of honor from a man because he was Sioux. It is shameful.

The Sioux warriors were historically brave men. In a fight, a leader would pin his sash to the ground and fight there until the battle was won or he was dead.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Ask any of us who have served with them, First Nations soldiers are among the best on the planet. It isn't just up on high buildings that their valor shines.

 

[oggbashan]

It's about time.

The British highest award, the Victoria Cross, was awarded to two Indian soldiers in 1914. Prior to 1911 the Indian Army had a similar but earlier medal.

Some of the surviving holders of the VC are Gurkhas.

We awarded the VC to the Unknown American Soldier in 1921. The US reciprocated by awarding the Medal of Honor to the Unknown British Soldier.

During WWII the British couldn't and wouldn't understand that black GIs were any different from white GIs. Commonwealth and Empire troops fighting in World Wars I and II were as valued as "Imperial" troops from the UK, and sometimes more so. We have always respected Gurkhas as highly professional soldiers. So have our enemies! The Scots regiments frightened the Napoleonic troops at Waterloo. There were Irish soldiers on both sides. The Irish enjoyed a good Donnybrook.

Og

 

[The_Fool]

It's about time.

The British highest award, the Victoria Cross, was awarded to two Indian soldiers in 1914. Prior to 1911 the Indian Army had a similar but earlier medal.

Some of the surviving holders of the VC are Gurkhas.

We awarded the VC to the Unknown American Soldier in 1921. The US reciprocated by awarding the Medal of Honor to the Unknown British Soldier.

During WWII the British couldn't and wouldn't understand that black GIs were any different from white GIs. Commonwealth and Empire troops fighting in World Wars I and II were as valued as "Imperial" troops from the UK, and sometimes more so. We have always respected Gurkhas as highly professional soldiers. So have our enemies! The Scots regiments frightened the Napoleonic troops at Waterloo. There were Irish soldiers on both sides. The Irish enjoyed a good Donnybrook.

Og

Irish, the original ex-pats...

 

[Belegon]

About fucking time! Yay!

 

[cloudy]

if you dont mind my asking, whats your nation Cloudy?

Choctaw.

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n124/phyde1987/Choctaw-SPEC.jpg

 

[christabelll]

bout damned time

 

[colddiesel]

Changing Values

During the second world war a huge number of US troops were stationed in UK. A few committed seious crimes, rape, murder and the like. The formal procedure would be that they were charged by the British. Then the US army would apply for these men to be returned and given a US military trial. Generally by British standards these men if found guilty were punished severely by US law.

However in four cases of murder the US army did not apply for their soldiers return and trial by the US

Three were black the fourth was a Native American. They were all hanged by the British. The last case was controversial because he was primarily (but not totally) found guilty because the pathologist controversially linked his peculiarly notched knife to the injuries sustained. Sorry I cannot remember his name.

In particular if a black soldier raped an English woman the US authorities did ask to try him because they thought the normal UK rape sentence of between 5 and 9 years was nowhere near sufficient. Unfortunately a number of british women caught with their black lovers cried rape with terminal consequences for these men in the US military jurisdiction.

It's easy to be judgemental 60 years later but we should at least know the facts.

Finally a request . Is the following story true. During the 6 day war between Egypt and the Arabs in 1967 the undoubted heroes were the Israeli airforce. The Israelis refused to identify them "for security reasons" but their soldiers were so identified and feted.

Many years later I was told that the security issue was an excuse and that the men were not identified because they were black. How so ?

In the 1960's & 60's the British were fighting an insurrection in South Aden . To do that they recruited local troops and trained Yemeni Jews as pilots (Yemen had a large jewish minority). Thus when the Brits left South Aden the Jews also left and the Israeli's acquired ready made and trained military pilots.

The reason I have always doubted this story is because it was related to me by a Yemeni Jew who had experienced great racial discrimination in Israel because he was black.

 

[cloudy]

During the second world war a huge number of US troops were stationed in UK. A few committed seious crimes, rape, murder and the like. The formal procedure would be that they were charged by the British. Then the US army would apply for these men to be returned and given a US military trial. Generally by British standards these men if found guilty were punished severely by US law.

However in four cases of murder the US army did not apply for their soldiers return and trial by the US

Three were black the fourth was a Native American. They were all hanged by the British. The last case was controversial because he was primarily (but not totally) found guilty because the pathologist controversially linked his peculiarly notched knife to the injuries sustained. Sorry I cannot remember his name.

In particular if a black soldier raped an English woman the US authorities did ask to try him because they thought the normal UK rape sentence of between 5 and 9 years was nowhere near sufficient. Unfortunately a number of british women caught with their black lovers cried rape with terminal consequences for these men in the US military jurisdiction.

It's easy to be judgemental 60 years later but we should at least know the facts.

Finally a request . Is the following story true. During the 6 day war between Egypt and the Arabs in 1967 the undoubted heroes were the Israeli airforce. The Israelis refused to identify them "for security reasons" but their soldiers were so identified and feted.

Many years later I was told that the security issue was an excuse and that the men were not identified because they were black. How so ?

In the 1960's & 60's the British were fighting an insurrection in South Aden . To do that they recruited local troops and trained Yemeni Jews as pilots (Yemen had a large jewish minority). Thus when the Brits left South Aden the Jews also left and the Israeli's acquired ready made and trained military pilots.

The reason I have always doubted this story is because it was related to me by a Yemeni Jew who had experienced great racial discrimination in Israel because he was black.

um....what???

What does that have to do with this man finally receiving the medal he should have received years ago?

 

[colddiesel]

um....what???

What does that have to do with this man finally receiving the medal he should have received years ago?

Not much but I thought you might be interested in what happened to one Native American in WW2.

 

[Guest]

Good news, cloudy!

 

[kendo1]

Quite some story, Cloudy. Thanks for sharing.