More than 42,000 Native Americans served in the military during the Vietnam War, the vast majority as volunteers. They faced racist and stereotypical taunts from fellow service members. After their service, veterans suffered psychological and emotional trauma at a higher rate than other populations. As the nation marks 50 years since the fall of Saigon and the end of the war, we’ll hear from Native Vietnam veterans about what the conflict means to them now.
GUESTS
Frank Sewell (Seminole Nation of Oklahoma and Creek), Vietnam War veteran
Harvey Pratt (Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes), artist and Vietnam War Marine veteran
Rachelle Pablo (Diné), museum specialist for the National Native American Veterans Memorial at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian
Francis Whitebird (Rosebud Sioux Tribe), Army Vietnam War veteran
Allen Hoe (Native Hawaiian), attorney and Vietnam veteran