Why We Serve

KIRKUS REVIEW
Starred Review. In a beautifully produced and illustrated volume commemorating the National Native American Veterans Memorial, Harris, senior editor and writer at Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, and Hirsch, a historian at the museum, offer probing, informative essays examining Native Americans' participation in the armed forces. Drawing on interviews and historical documents, the authors show how motivations to serve were complex and varied: Some individuals wanted "to learn a trade, get an education, experience the thrill of piloting a jet, explore new life horizons, strike a blow for gender equality, or uphold family traditions of military service that stretch back for generations." Some were drafted; for others, the military "meant a job, meals, and stability that could not be found at home." Sometimes, the decision to align with the U.S. military was complicated by treaty alliances or tribal rivalries: "defense of territory, revenge, resources, and challenge to traditional enemies." In the cases of the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Civil War, Native Americans--who were not U.S. citizens and realized that the government was hostile to tribal autonomy and covetous of tribal lands--were forced to choose sides or remain neutral. During the Civil War, some tribes aligned with the Union, others with Confederates, all hoping to renegotiate treaties once the war was over. The authors focus chapters on Native American warrior traditions, participation in the Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam, and conflicts in the Middle East. They examine Native American service as scouts, interpreters, and intermediaries and offer many vivid profiles of individuals, personalizing the larger historical narrative. Although the authors write that the book is "a chronicle of ordinary men and women doing extraordinary things under often unforgiving circumstances," many profiled seem far from ordinary.