MEDALS AND MEMORIES: First Nations

1 Facts More than 7000 persons, then called Indians, servedin WWI, WWII and the Korean War, along with anunknown number of M tis and other individuals withFirst Nations heritage Francis Pegahmagabow, from Ontario was the mosthighly decorated Canadian native in WWI; among hismany MEDALS was the Military Medal with two bars forbravery Tommy Prince from Manitoba earned 11 MEDALS dur-ing WWII and Korea including the American Silver Starfor gallantryBefore the Reading What do you know about Joseph brant or Molly Brantor any other First Nations persons who in the pastserved Canada in war and peace? If you could award MEDALS , or create a new medal forservice to Canada, what would you call your medal andwhat criteria would you set for earning the medal? How may you serve your country even without wear-ing its uniforms?Reading #1 A Fighting TraditionRemembrance Day provides opportunities to celebrate thecontributions of those who forged Canada s valuesthroughout its history.

2 What better place to start than withthe service of Canada s First Nations . The brant familyprovides glimpses of long ago battles and important waysFirst Nations contributed to Canadians evolving sense AND MEMORIES: First NationsPAGE1OF4 READING ANDREMEMBRANCE2009: MEDALS ANDMEMORIES: ~ FIRSTNATIONSR eading and Remembrance 2009 | Education Explore multiple perspectives to achieve consensus on universal attributes Develop common ground on the values we share as Canadians Learn to think critically about the world Increase levels of personal and social responsibility MEDALS AND MEMORIES MINUTESFF rraanncciiss PPeeggaahhmmaaggaabbooww((11889911--1199 5522))three times awardedthe Military Medal in WWI was anexpert marksman and scout creditedwith killing up to 378 Germans andcapturing 300 more. The Ojibwafrom Parry Island was twice wound-ed but willingly returned to his unit after recovery. Hiscitation for the Battle of Passchendaele reads, November 6th/7th, 1917, this NCO did excellentwork.

3 Before and after the attack he kept in touchwith the flanks, advising the units he had seen, thisinformation proving the success of the attack andsaving valuable time in consolidating. Francis servedin the Algonquin Regiment after 1919, as chief of theParry Island Band 1921 1925 and as Supreme Chiefof the Native Independent Government in Boyden s 2005 novel Three Day Roadwasinspired in part by Chief and British MilitaryOfficer, Joseph brant , received asilver medal from the British for hisservice in French and Indian warexpeditions such as the 1759 Battleof Fort Niagara. Joseph and his sis-ter Molly became famous duringthe American Revolutionary War fortheir loyalty and service to theBritish Crown. Molly with her intelli-gence and knowledge of colonialadministration wielded power overthe Mohawk warriors; Joseph, distinguished by his acts ofbravery and knowledge of native languages, rose to therank of Captain. Both siblings worked tirelessly for nativerights within a strong 1850 the remains of Joseph brant were carried 55 kmin relays on the shoulders of young men of Grand River toa tomb at Her Majesty s Chapel of the Mohawks brant , like his father Joseph, typified loyalty to theBritish Crown.

4 John, known as Ahyouwaighs, foughtagainst the Americans in the War of 1812. John travelledto London, to appear before parliament and meet with theking. In 1821 he sought to serve his country as a memberof the Canadian Party. He lost his seat for Haldimand to arival candidate and both he and his opponent died ofcholera before brant could regain his authority over hisdisputed place in government. Lieutenant Cameron brant , the great-great-grandson ofJoseph brant continued his family s traditions of service tocountry by going to military school after graduating fromHagersville High School. He served with the 37thRegiment, Haldimand Rifles for six years until 7, 1914, Cameron was the First member of the SixNations Reserve to enlist. He received a lieutenant s com-mission while assigned to the 4th Infantry Battalion inValcartier, Quebec; the battalion shipped out for EuropeOctober 3, 1914, as part of the First Canadian contingentto go overseas.

5 Lieutenant brant was killed April 23, 1915, when he ledhis men over the top at the Battle of Ypres in , who always led by example, did not shirk in theface of a fierce German attack which had been precededby the release of poison gas. His commanding officer saidof him that, The boys will follow him anywhere. His bodywas never recovered. For a CBC News Soldiers Assignment student Peter Boggisfrom the North West Territories wrote, I thank you, CameronD. brant , for the bravery and devotion you showed,/ Forthe honour, the patriotism, and the For you gave upthe greatest gift of all, your life, / For Canada, for free-dom, and for me. / And I shall never forget it. Cameron D. brant was one of 17 descendants of JosephBrant who served in WWI. The Six Nations recognized theaccomplishments of another descendant of Joseph brant ,Dr. Gilbert Monture, when they made him honourary chiefwith the name Ohstoserakowa or Big Feather.

6 Provided service to his country during three , a metre tall engineering student postponedhis studies in 1917 to become a gunner in the RoyalCanadian Field Artillery. He was commissioned as a lieu-tenant in the Royal Canadian Engineers but was too lateto see battlefield action. After WWI, Monture served in themilitia for five years as a lieutenant. When WWII brokeout, Dr. Monture was prevented from serving due to ahand injury he d suffered in a mining accident. Instead, hebecame the Canadian Executive Officer of the combinedCanadian, American and British Production and ResourcesBoard allocating strategic minerals for the war effort work for which he received an Order of the British Empire. READING ANDREMEMBRANCE2009: MEDALS ANDMEMORIES: ~ FIRSTNATIONSMEDALS AND MEMORIES MINUTESWhen TToommmmyy PPrriinnccee ((11991155--11997777))was presented theMilitary Medal and Silver Star on behalf of theAmerican President by King George VI atBuckingham Palace, he had come a long way frombeing turned down for military service in made his name with the elite First SpecialService Force dubbed the Devil s Brigade.

7 In 1944 inItaly Prince set up for four days behind enemy lines inan abandoned farmhouse to report the location ofGerman assembly points. When the 1,400 metres oftelephone wire connecting him to his forces wasknocked out, Prince grabbed a hoe and civilianclothing and rejoined the break in the wire while pre-tending to tie his shoe laces. The citation for hisMilitary Medal read, Sergeant Prince s courage andutter disregard for personal safety were an inspirationto his fellows and a marked credit to his unit . Laterin Italy under similarly difficult circumstances, Princereported information that lead the brigade to captureover a thousand German Monture continued to serve his country with resourcesplanning for the Korean War and later in peace time forNATO. The strong sense of duty of Dr. Monture, and of allJoseph brant s descendants, stands for all the individualswith First Nations heritage who have gone out of their wayto serve their country.

8 During a spiritual journey to Europe in 2005, then 18year old Dakota brant was studying the Mohawk languageof her ancestor Joseph brant . She found the name of hergrand-uncle Cameron brant on the Menin Gate Memorialamong the names of 54,896 Commonwealth soldierswho died in the Ypres Salient during WWI and who haveno known grave: You d have to have a heart of stone notto feel anything , the young woman told Legion would have to have a heart of stone not to appreciateother First Nations sacrifices Chief Joe Dreaver whoearned the Military Medal for bravery in the field in Belgiumin WWI and who re-enlisted for WWII; he left his farm inSaskatchewan bringing 17 men with him, including histhree sons John McLeod who served overseas in his six sons and one daughter who enlisted in WWII,two sons gave their lives and another two were wounded. Roughly half the eligible Mi kmaq and Maliseet men ofNew Brunswick and Nova Scotia signed up in WWII;Saskatchewan s File Hills community sent nearly all its eli-gible men to war.

9 Every single man of the Head LakeBand of British Columbia volunteered. In spite of hugecommunication difficulties of the news of WWII reachinginto Canada s far north, 100 Ojibwa from isolated areasnorth of Thunder Bay, served mostly in the 52ndCanadian Light infantry Battalion; six were awardedmedals for bravery. For more than three centuries, individuals like these fromthe First Nations have modelled duty, loyalty, courage,sacrifice, commitment and capability. It is a fitting legacyto remember and a great one upon which to base aCanadian sense of identity. After the Reading What characteristics or qualities did Joseph and MollyBrant have that are shared by their descendants? Peter Boggis and Dakota brant are modern youngpeople who took an interest in First Nations was each rewarded by his or her search? If you are far from the center of events, you often feelless the need to be involved. Why then did NativeCanadians from the most remote areas feel the need toserve in war?

10 READING ANDREMEMBRANCE2009: MEDALS ANDMEMORIES~ FIRSTNATIONSMEDALS AND MEMORIES MINUTESEE ddiitthh AAnnddeerrssoonn MMoonnttuurree((11889900--11999966)),,a descendant ofJoseph brant , was born on the SixNations Grand River to study nursing inCanada, Edith graduated in NewYork State. She was the First NativeCanadian woman to train andwork as a nurse. In 1917, along with 14 otherCanadian nurses, she joined the Medical Corps;she was one of only two native nurses sent to Vittel,France. Anderson spent her time treating shot andgassed soldiers. We would walk right over wherethere had been fighting. It was an awful sight build-ings in rubble, trees burnt, spent shells all over theplace, whole towns blown up. Edith remembered ayoung 20 year old American patient with a neckwound. We finally managed to stop the bleedingand settled the boy down .. The night after that hedied. I got his mother s address in the States andwrote her telling her I was with her son when hepassed away.