In Honor of Veterans Day: The Spotted Bears

[OmahaBlueDog]

This Veterans Day, I wanted to take a moment to honor some soldiers that I never met, and do not know.

Earlier this year, I came across three graves.



These were the graves of the Spotted Bears: Edward, Thomas, and Charles.



Thomas' grave immediately catches the eye. He was a scout in the Indian Wars.



This is the Grave of Charles Spotted Bear, who served in the Army, but not in any particular war that is noted on the marker.



This is the marker of Edward Spotted Bear. He died in WW II. I performed a little on-line research, and couldn't find much, except that he died in Germany in 1945.

As I said, I don't know who these men were, and I'm not related to any of them. I don't know if one is a father and the others are sons, or if they are all brothers, or if they are cousins.

What struck me most about the Spotted Bears was where they were resting -- in the cemetery of the Sacred Heart Church, in Wounded Knee, SD. Just a few yards away from these markers is the mass grave in which victims were buried after a massacre of Native Americans by US Troops on December 29, 1890. It is a place where we buried Americans killed by Americans, and it is sacred and hallowed ground.

Wounded Knee is in the Pine Ridge Reservation. The poverty and unemployment levels are staggering. It is a place, I feel, where liberals and conservatives alike could come together and agree that the inhabitants received awful treatment by the US Government. It's also a place where, I feel, that liberals and conservatives alike could agree that whatever the government has spent or done in an attempt to help these people, it seems to have failed.

If there was ever a place where men might be justified in refusing to serve, it's Pine Ridge. Yet they do serve, and have served, and clearly, they serve with pride. In a native hotel/casino, I came across a memorial to Woodrow Wilson Keeble (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodrow_Keeble), a member of the Sioux Tribe, a WWII and Korea Veteran, and a posthumous recepient of the Medal of Honor. On the highway into Pine Ridge, I saw an older tribe member in a pick up truck featuring very prominent American flag stickers, and stickers representing the Vietnam Service Ribbon. And I saw the Spotted Bears.

So today, I thank the Spotted Bears, and I thank all of the veterans - from whatever background - who have served this nation and kept us free.

[SnohoDem]

1. K&R

Awesome post.

[shraby]

2. K&R from me too..for many reasons. Good post.

[Brother Buzz]

3. This might be a good place to add my "Two Bits"

San Francisco National Cemetery, Presidio, San Francisco, California

Newscopy: "...No such furor ever attended the headstone of 'Two Bits.' The Army now knows him only by that name, and that once, back in frontier days, he served the Army as an Indian scout.".

http://sflib1.sfpl.org:82/search~S0?/X%22two%22+bits&SORT=D/X%22two%22+bits&SORT=D&stype=X&SUBKEY=%22two%22+bits/1%2C5%2C5%2CB/frameset&FF=X%22two%22+bits&SORT=D&1%2C1%2C

[OmahaBlueDog]

6. I'm glad you added your "Two Bits."

Thanks!

:patriot:

[Frustratedlady]

4. What a beautiful post

Also, about Two Bit.

[pansypoo53219]

5. what a pretty spot.

i gotta find the pics i took at our veterans cemetery this sept. was with a gulf war vet. we spotted a medal of honor winner from the civil war, was easy on the internets to find info. to see all who have served, given their lives.