2009: Presidential Medal of Freedom honors Apsáalooke (Crow) historian and veteran

Joe Medicine Crow, a World War II veteran and historian known for his books about the Apsáalooke (Crow) Tribe, receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama on August 12. As a soldier in World War II, Medicine Crow drew on the teachings of his grandfather, who encouraged him as a young boy to run day after day in the sub-zero temperatures of eastern Montana—training which he credits for giving him the strength to be a warrior. In the 103rd Infantry Division, he completed the tasks required of an Apsáalooke (Crow) war chief, including touching a living soldier, disarming an enemy, leading a midnight raid, and stealing a horse from a German battalion. All the while, he wore his traditional paint and his eagle feather under his uniform.

Medicine Crow (b. 1913) was the first person from his tribe to attend college. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1938 and a master’s degree from the University of Southern California in 1939. After returning from war, he was appointed historian for the Apsáalooke (Crow) Tribe. Before receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Medicine Crow was best known for his books and documentaries about the Battle of the Little Big Horn. He said, “No one wins (in war). Both sides lose. The Indians, so called hostiles, won the battle of the day, but lost their way of life.”

Theme

Federal-Tribal Relations

Region

Great Plains