This book provides a powerful insight into the experiences of Native American soldiers during World War II, as well as the lasting psychological effects of combat.
By Tom Holm ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 2023
A thorough examination of the life of Ira Hayes, the Native American Marine Corps hero who was famously photographed raising the American flag on Iwo Jima, is presented by Holm, a Vietnam veteran and retired professor of American Indian studies. Hayes was a member of the Akimel O’odham people, a peaceful tribe who had a tradition of warfare, but were not known for rising up against the American conquerors of their homeland. Thrust into boot camp, jungle warfare, and the battle for Iwo Jima, Hayes was then thrust into the spotlight, and upon returning to his reservation, he wished the photo had never been taken. Holm argues that the “drunken Indian” image so often presented in popular culture is both false and demeaning, and he paints a picture of Hayes as a gentle, unwilling victim of circumstance who coped with his troubled life the best he could. He also notes that Hayes received more press than Geronimo, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Cochise, and Tecumseh combined, and that war is formative, scarring, and hellish.
The life of Ira Hayes, the Native American Marine Corps hero who was famously photographed raising the American flag on Iwo Jima, is explored in depth by Holm, a Vietnam veteran and retired professor of American Indian studies. Hayes was a member of the Akimel O’odham people, a peaceful tribe who had a tradition of warfare, but were not known for rising up against the American conquerors of their homeland. Holm argues that the “drunken Indian” image so often presented in popular culture is both false and demeaning, and he paints a picture of Hayes as a gentle, unwilling victim of circumstance who coped with his troubled life the best he could. Hayes was thrust into boot camp, jungle warfare, and the battle for Iwo Jima, and upon returning to his reservation, he wished the photo had never been taken. Holm notes that Hayes received more press than Geronimo, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Cochise, and Tecumseh combined, and that war is formative, scarring, and hellish. He also emphasizes that the Akimel O’odham way of war was a complex amalgamation of preparatory rituals, limited aggression, the ceremonial expungement of the pollution of death, healing, and the celebration of the return of the relatives who took part in the conflict.
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2023
ISBN: 9781538709504
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Twelve
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023