The Warrior Tradition

(soft tonal music) (muffled drumming) (rattling) A lot of people ask why did you join a white man's war? They weren't nice to you. That may be so. Still, this is our land. (soft drumming) This is our home. This has always been our home. And part of the commitment to protecting and defending your home led to military service. We have the highest per capita service rate out of any group in America because of the fact that our native people have always wanted to fulfill that warrior path. As a Native American woman and also growing up in a military family, it was just natural for me to want to join the military. I always saw myself as a warrior. I was told I was. I was told I was strong, I can do anything. And I believed it, still do. As I left for the military, I was given these feathers right here. These two were carried by my great, great, great grandfather on his rifle when he was an Apache scout. Those feathers carried with me my ancestors. They had been to World War I. They'd been to World War II. They'd been to Korea, Vietnam. And as I was carrying that, I felt like I had my family with me to protect me. (pow wow drumming) (pow wow chanting) Being a warrior is not necessarily about going out and killing people, it's about keeping the peace as well and making sure that our traditions and culture are staying in line with our values. Protecting our land, our family, our community and that's part of the warrior tradition. (drumming)