Since we began our series on indigenous women warriors, the situations for war changed greatly. Many centuries ago, the tribes were at war with each other and the female warriors would earn status in tribal wars. Later the Europeans came. Some warriors such as Buffalo Calf Road or Pretty Nose would be involved in fighting the United States government troops. In later wars such as the Spanish American War and World War I, Native American women served their country and their tribes as nurses.
In World War II, many Native American women also served in a medical capacity, but women began to be allowed to serve in other ways, such as mechanical and electrical technician, Winifred Dudley. Over 800 Native American women served in the Women’s Army Core, WAVES, and Women Marine Corps Reserve. We will feature some of their stories in the next few weeks.
World War II Veterans
Among the many women tribal members who served in WWII were:[1]
Elva Tapedo Wale (Kiowa) WAC. Elva left her home on an Oklahoman reservation to join the Women’s Army Corps. She became an “Air WAC” and worked on army bases across the United States.[2]
Corporal Bernice (Firstshoot) Bailey (Lodge Pole, Montana). Bernice joined the WAC’s in 1945 and served until 1948. After the war she was sent to Wiesbaden, Germany as part of the Army of Occupation. She married Clarence E. Bailey and had five children. She enjoyed sewing, square dancing, and golfing. She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Waukegan for 49 years.
Beatrice Coffey Thayer. (1924-2006) Beatrice served with the Army of Occupation in Germany. She remembers being assigned to KP duty with German POW’s accompanied by armed guards. Beatrice remained in Germany for many years and was there when the Berlin wall was erected in the 1970’s.
Alida (Whipple) Fletcher. Alida trained as a medical specialist for her service in the Army. She worked at a hospital at Camp Stonemen, California, which was an Army port of embarkation for the Pacific. On a night that Alida would later describe as the most tragic night of her life, she was on duty when two ships which were loaded with explosives collided at a nearby ammunition dump. Killing around 400 sailors and wounding many more. The wounded were brought to the hospital where she was working.
1st Lieutenant Julia Helen Nashanany Reeves (Potawatomie,1919-1998). Julia completed her nurses training at the Philadelphia Hospital in Pennsylvania on a scholarship provided by the Daughters of the American Revolution. The Japanese bombed the US naval station at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Julia joined the Army Nurse Corps in January 1942.
She served on one of the first medical units shipped to the Pacific with the 52nd Evacuation Hospital Unit which was sent to New Caledonia. Julie was assigned temporary duty aboard the ship Solace. The following year she was transferred to the 23rd Station Hospital in Norwich, England. The invasion of Normandy occurred at that time. She remained in Norwich through V-J Day. After returning to the US for a while she then went on to serve during the Korean War with the 804th Station Hospital.
It was there that she met and later married Joseph Reeves. They had four children and retired in Suffolk, Virginia. The Potawatomie Indian Tribe awarded her the high honor of an eagle feather given to warriors for their country. She is buried at Quantico National Cemetery, a military cemetery in Virginia.
Private Minnie Spotted-Wolf (Blackfeet, 1923-1988). Minnie Spotted-Wolf was the first female American Indian to enlist in the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve. Minnie was born on the Pine Ridge, South Dakota Indian reservation. She was just out of high school when she enlisted in The Marine Corps Women’s Reserve, serving from 1943-1945.
Though she was only 5’5” and weighed 95 pounds she was one tough cookie. She got her strength and stamina from cutting fence posts, driving a two-ton truck, and breaking horses on her father’s ranch. Her daughter later boasted that Minnie could outride guys into her early 50s. Minnie later said that boot camp was “hard, but when it was over, I was proud of myself and all that I accomplished.”
Minnie encountered resistance from recruiters who did not think women were fit for military service. When she was finally admitted she reported for basic training at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, where she passed physical tests, marksmanship drills and instruction in military protocols. She outperformed many peers and graduated at the top of her class in September 1943.
Her role as a heavy equipment and Jeep driver during service in California and Hawaii has been preserved in exhibits on World War II Native American veterans.
Minnie adapted quickly to the life of a soldier. Her competence soon convinced many that they needn’t have worried that she could handle the military life. Her example became a milestone for Native American women during WWII. She successfully challenged the barriers to women and made it possible for more opportunities for women to contribute to the military. In 1944 she was the subject of a promotional four-page comic book, One Little Indian, published in Calling All Girls magazine to encourage teen girls’ participation in the service.
After serving her country Minnie went on to teach in reservation and other small schools in Montana for 29 years. Minnie received recognition from the Blackfeet community and the Marine Corps for her pioneer as the first female Native American in the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve.
Ola Mildred Rexroat (Oglala Sioux, 1917-2017) Ola (Rexy) joined the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) after she got out of high school. She worked at the Eagle Pass Army Air Base in Texas towing targets for aerial gunnery students. As you can imagine, this was really dangerous work which could result in terrible accidents. The worst Ola experienced was, on two occasions, losing a target she was towing when the cable she was using was shot.
Ola decided to get her pilot’s license. After the war ended she remained in the Air Force reserve for nearly ten years, serving as an air traffic controller and Air Force reserve officer. Ola became one of the first women air traffic controllers. It was very frustrating for her when she watched less qualified men be promoted over her. Nevertheless, she remained until her retirement in the late 1970s.
Later, in a resolution passed by the US Senate, Ola and nearly one thousand other WWII WASPs received the Congressional Gold Medal. This medal is given “in honor of outstanding service to the United States.”
Millie Rexroat passed away while living at a Veterans Home in Hot Springs, South Dakota just two months shy of her one-hundredth birthday. Her son had her ashes interred at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.
A few months later, the Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota renamed an airfield operations building he “Millie Rexroat Building.”
[1] I looked these women up online. Sometimes I was not able to find their tribal affiliation. Many were just classified as “American Indian” without stating their tribe.
[2] Information for these women found at: https://library.citadel.edu/c.php?g=894706&p=6452054
