DoD Observance National American Indian Heritage Month/November 2005

1. PUBLIC LAW 101-343 ESTABLISHES THE MONTH OF
NOVEMBER
AS NATIONAL AMERICAN INDIAN HERITAGE MONTH.
2. ONE OF THE GREAT STRENGTHS OF OUR NATION IS OUR DIVERSITY. THE
MARINE CORPS BENEFITS GREATLY FROM THIS STRENGTH BY DRAWING
INDIVIDUALS FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE AND MOLDING THEM INTO COHESIVE,
COMBAT READY UNITS OF MARINES DEDICATED TO OUR CORE VALUES AND THE
DEFENSE OF OUR NATION. THE NATIVE AMERICAN POPULATION IS A DIVERSE
GROUP OF CULTURES IN ITSELF. DESPITE THEIR RELATIVELY SMALL NUMBER
IN THE UNITED STATES TODAY, PER CAPITA, NATIVE AMERICANS SERVE IN
THE MARINE CORPS AT A HIGHER RATE THAN MOST OTHER GROUPS OF
AMERICANS.
3. NATIVE AMERICAN SERVICE AND SACRIFICE IN OUR ARMED FORCES IS
EXEMPLIFIED THROUGHOUT AMERICAN HISTORY. DURING THE GREATEST
CHALLENGES TO OUR NATION, NATIVE AMERICANS HISTORICALLY HAVE SERVED
IN LARGE NUMBERS RELATIVE TO THEIR POPULATION. FIVE NATIVE AMERICANS
HAVE RECEIVED THE MEDAL OF HONOR IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY AND TODAY
STAND AS A TESTAMENT TO THEIR HONOR AND COURAGE.
4. NATIVE AMERICAN MARINES HAVE ALSO MADE THEIR MARK IN SOME OF THE
MOST STORIED EVENTS IN MARINE CORPS HISTORY. FEW HAVE NOT HEARD OF
THE IMMENSE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE NAVAJO CODE TALKERS TO MARINE CORPS
VICTORIES IN THE PACIFIC THEATER DURING WORLD WAR II. THE MOST
RECOGNIZABLE AMERICAN SYMBOL OF THAT GREAT CAMPAIGN CONTAINS THE
IMAGE OF A PIMA INDIAN, IRA HAYES, WHO HELPED RAISE THE FLAG ON MOUNT
SURIBACHI DURING THE BATTLE OF IWO JIMA.
5. TODAY NATIVE AMERICAN MARINES CONTINUE THE PROUD TRADITION OF
SERVICE TO THEIR COUNTRY WITH THE SAME CORE VALUES OF HONOR, COURAGE
AND COMMITMENT OF THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED IN THE PAST.
6. DURING NATIONAL AMERICAN INDIAN HERITAGE MONTH, COMMANDERS ARE
ENCOURAGED TO CELEBRATE THE CONTRIBUTIONS AND DEDICATED SERVICE OF
NATIVE AMERICANS, BOTH PAST AND PRESENT, TO OUR COUNTRY AND OUR
CORPS. PARTICIPATION IN COMMAND AND LOCAL COMMUNITY PROGRAMS IS
HIGHLY ENCOURAGED.