A Memorial Day “First:” Lori Ann Piestewa

In honor of Memorial Day, I wanted to highlight this editorial by fellow writer and blogger K.B. Schaller, author of Gray Rainbow Journey and Journey by the Sackcloth Moon.  While we often think of the war dead as casualties of conflicts from long ago, this piece discusses Lori Ann Piestewa, a member of the Navajo Nation who was the first female troop casualty in the Iraq War.  Despite the oppression and degradation suffered by Indigenous Americans, they have been loyal to the United States and served in all branches of the armed forces with a higher percentage – given their small population – in comparison to other ethnic groups.  They’re certainly braver than the sorry-ass draft dodgers who got our nation into the Iraq War in the first place.  For better or worse, this is the country we have and it’s still a work in progress.  We should all realize that freedom truly isn’t that free.