Bozho
(Hello),
The CPN Veterans Organization receives numerous requests and inquiries about the CPN Veterans Wall of Honor. Many veterans and their family members are anxious to see themselves and/or loved ones recognized on the Wall of Honor. The Cultural Heritage Center houses this monument honoring our Tribal veterans and is responsible for the collection of the names and photographs displayed on the wall. The person/curator in charge of the wall is Blake Norton, and anyone interested in adding a veteran to the honor wall can contact him at bnorton@potawatomi.org. Any future requests that we, the CPN Veterans Organization, receives will be forwarded to him.
For those who are unfamiliar with the history of our country’s military, I have composed a brief chronological record of events. At the start, following the American Revolution, our government thought that a standing army in time of peace was too dangerous to the liberties of a free people. So, the U.S. Legislature disbanded the Continental Army, except for a few dozen troops guarding munitions at West Point, New York, and Fort Pitt, Pennsylvania. However, they allowed for well-manned state militias in case of future threats. This was reorganized for the First American Regiment that President George Washington insisted on when he took office in April 1789. Congress passed a bill empowering the president to call into service, from time to time, such part of the militia of the states as he deemed necessary.
The first women enlisted during World War I, but during the Revolutionary War, American women served on the battlefields as nurses, seamstresses, and cooks, and a few saw combat, taking the place of wounded men. The same was true in the Civil War and other 19th century conflicts. They were not allowed to officially serve until the Army and Navy Nurse Corps were formed in 1901 and 1908, respectively. The first non-nurse women enlisted in 1917, serving in clerical positions stateside and as Signal Corps operators overseas. In 1948, President Harry Truman signed a bill allowing women to serve permanently. The first women were promoted to the rank of general in 1970 and were allowed to attend military academies in 1976. Today, women make up about 16 percent of the Army, and in 2016, they were accepted into ground combat units. The military is the world’s largest employer. Migwetch (thank you).
Given the current public health crisis, we will advise when our next meeting is. If you are in need of information, please reach out to us using the information below.
Migwetch
(Thank you),
Daryl Talbot, Commander
talbotok@sbcglobal.net
405-275-1054
CPN VA Representative:
Andrew Whitham
CPN Office Hours:
1st and 3rd Wednesday each month 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
918-397-2566