Sometimes Freedom Wears a Woman's Face: American Indian Women Veterans of World War II

Abstract

American Indian women veterans of World War II are the least known group of World War II military veterans. With an estimated wartime enlistment of eight-hundred, these women have not received the academic attention they deserve and very little information on their lives and military experiences has been available. This project addresses this disparity by focusing on certain key questions. What early life experiences influenced these Native women to enlist in the military? Did their experiences affect their adjustment to military life? What were their duty assignments and stations and how did their military experiences influence their life choices in the years after the war? In other words, did their military experiences contribute to or influence their commitment to their communities and to the greater good for indigenous peoples? Equally as important, how did their feelings about the war change over time? What emphasis did they place on their military service? What common themes emerge among these women and do their experiences reflect or differ from those of their Native male counterparts and of other military women during World War II? These questions are approached through an oral history format utilizing quantitative and qualitative methods and theories of collective memory. This project also explores the issue of Native and tribal identities as they influenced these veterans in their decisions regarding military enlistment and community service.