Produced by Patty Loew (Bad River Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe), Wisconsin Public Television, Way of the Warrior offers a Native perspective during this season when the new Ken Burns series The War brings this subject to the forefront of national attention. WORLD WAR I
During WWI, at least 12,000 Native men enlisted in the military, even though many of them were not citizens and not required to serve. The most popular recruitment centers were Indian Boarding Schools—often harsh places of forced assimilation where Indian children marched to classes and Native boys drilled in cadet uniforms. This repressive environment, according to historian Thomas Britten, promoted “a seamless transition from boarding schools to training camps to the front lines.” Some served because of economics. Some wanted adventure. Some belonged to “warrior” clans. Others served out of a sense of patriotism, both to their own Indian nation and to the United States.
In 1916, Edward DeNomie (Bad River Ojibwe), joined Company K of the 3rd Wisconsin Infantry. Recruited out of the Tomah Indian School, Pvt. DeNomie trained at Camp Douglas before joining “Blackjack Pershing’s national guard troops along the Mexican border. Rare photos of DeNomie’s largely Indian unit reveal Native soldiers relaxing in camp.
Four World War I doughboys including Edward DeNomie (Bad River Ojibwe), left photo top right, who saw action in France as part of the 32nd Red Arrow Division. DeNomie was among 12,000 Indians who volunteered for service during World War I. (DeNomie Family archive)
In less than two years, more than half would be dead or wounded in France. DeNomie’s guard unit and others from Wisconsin and northern Michigan combined to become the 32nd “Red Arrow” Division. During WWI, the Red Arrow fought in all seven major battles in which the U.S. participated. DeNomie suffered shrapnel wounds, lost hearing in one ear, and lost most of one lung in a poison gas attack.
Pages from the World War I journal of Edward DeNomie (Bad River Ojibwe) written at the front near Chateau Thierry, France. His diary, written from the front in 1918, reveals a year of intense anxiety and loss. (DeNomie Family archive)