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\avajoHistory—Klara KelleyFirst veterans of Navajo Nationj hen someone mentions Navajo veterans, most of us probably ' think of the Code Talkers first, then other veterans of WorldWar 11 and later wars,But the first Navajo veterans, at least the first that the Veterans Ad ministration considered eligible for pensions, served almost seventy y ears earlier, they were the Navajo scouts, and they fought in the Apache Wars,Navajo men became in volved in the Apache wars because of an incident on the W hite Mountain Apache Reservation, At that time, the at my administered the reservation under the command of Col. John Green,I »ke many military officers of his time, C ol. Green had his own per sonal servants. One day in April, 1871, Apaches killed C'ol, Green’-, butler, and Green vowed to punish the Apaches. So he sent a message all the way to Fort Wingate, begging Maj. Redwood Price to send rein forccmcnts.For some reason not recorded in history, several Navajo men from around Fort Wingate asked to go along. The army took fifteen of them but refused to give them food or equipment, so the men had to supply their own.Not long after, Navajo scouts went on Gen. George C rook's campaign against the Apaches. They served as trackers, guides, laborers, andbackup fire power.These first scouts are not recognized by the Veterans Adminstration, but by 1871, the Secretary of W ar had given the army official pcrmislt;jjon to recruit Navajo scouts. In that year, the first official scouts volunteered at Fort Wingate to fight the Mimbrc Apaches.1 he scouts served six-month terms, and many reenlisted over and over. The army usually kept about 10 to 25 scouts at Fort W ingate and used them on expcditurcs against the Apaches,fn 1885, the army begatn its last campaign to defeat the Apaches, and recruited 50 Navajos men to fight Gcronimo, The army promised these men land if they would fight. I hey did not get legal titles to any land, as far as I can tell, but many received allotments near Fort Wingate years later By the end of 1886, the army had completely beaten the Apaches, and most of the scouts mustered out.But a few staved on, and found themselves in police actions against the Mopis. Ufes and other Navajos. In 1801, the army started enlisting some Navajo men for three year stints. After 1804, Navajos served regular ar my enlistments,I hey were no longer considered scouts, although they did the same things as the scouts \ few men served until 1011, when the army closed f ort Wingate temporarily. When f ort Wingate reopened in I0i8 as anordinance depot, there were no more scouts.
Newspaper Details
Navajo Times
Window Rock, Arizona, US
Thu, Apr 19, 1984
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 29 Oct 2024
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