TAMPA, Fla. — For the Seminole tribe of Florida, fighting for freedom is a time-honored tradition that stretches back centuries. They’re the descendants of just 300 courageous people who the U.S Army could not conquer during a brutal advance into Florida – but that history of struggle eventually transformed into a proud tradition of military service.
So, today – on Veterans Day – the Seminoles honor their brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers and grandfathers who bravely wore the uniform.
Shortly after the U.S. government formally recognized the Seminoles and established diplomatic relations – in 1957 – members of the tribe began fighting for America’s freedoms. According to a book by Tom Holm, a professor of Native American studies at the University of Arizona, the Seminoles were among 77 tribes that answered the call when U.S troops took on the forces of communism in the jungles of Vietnam. During that controversial conflict, at least 42,000 Native Americans put everything on the line for this country.
Tribal Council Vice Chairman Mitchell Cypress was one of them. In 2017, he wrote a letter to his fellow veterans, published in The Seminole Tribune, that read – “Native American warriors saw a need, and without hesitation answered the call to protect their people and the nation that had adopted them."
That desire to serve among Native Americans is widespread despite the fact that this country has often treated them with a distinct lack of dignity. Native Americans were not even granted citizenship until 1924 – but their military contributions to the American cause date back long before that. According to the Naval History and Heritage Command, Native Americans served as scouts during the Civil War.
More than 12,000 climbed into the trenches during World War I.
When World War II broke out, more than 44,000 Native Americans helped crush the Axis powers on bloody battlefields across Europe and the Pacific.
Post 9/11, Native Americans fought for our freedom on the front lines of the war on terror. More than 31,000 stormed the mountains of Afghanistan and patrolled the streets of Iraq.
The numbers paint an admirable picture of patriotism. In a 2012 report published by the National Congress of American Indians, the U.S. Census estimated there are more than 155,000 Native American veterans alive today.
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