December 12, 1941
Osage County News
Microfilm Roll: MN00313
On December 12, 1941, nearly a week after the bombing on Pearl Harbor, The Osage County News published an article summarizing the Japanese attack on American soil, the title reading “War has come to America.”
As seen in the First World War, American Indians contributed greatly during World War II. Over 40,000 Indians fought on the war front and nearly the same number served on the home front working in the industrial and agricultural fields. When adding volunteer efforts to the equation, an estimated 150,000 American Indians contributed to the war by 1945.
When recognizing the Osages alone, over five hundred tribal members served during World War II, nearly thirty of whom were either killed or missing by the war’s end. Several of the Osages who served on the war front were awarded medals for their service. These awards included:
- Air Medal
- Air Medal and Oak Leaf Clusters
- Distinguished Service Medal
- Good Conduct Medal
- Distinguished Flying Cross
- Silver Star
- Purple Heart
On November 20, 2013, the Osages, along with other American Indian tribes, were honored with U. S. Congressional Gold Medals for their work as code talkers during both the First and Second World Wars. The medal shown below recognizes the Osage Nation’s involvement with an image of an Osage code talker on the face of the medal and the Osage tribal seal on the back.
Morgan M. Guzman
“War has come to America.” The Osage County News. December 12, 1941, p. 1. Microfilm roll number MN00313. Sequoyah National Research Center, Little Rock, Arkansas.
Further Reading
Burns, Louis F. A History of the Osage People. Tuscaloosa: The University of Alabama Press, 2004.
“Native Americans in the Military – World War II,” Forest County Potawatomi, https://www.fcpotawatomi.com/news/native-americans-in-the-military-world-war-ii/. Accessed February 16, 2018.
“Osage Code Talkers Honored with U.S. Congressional Gold Medal.” Indian Country Today. https://indiancountrymedianetwork.com/news/veterans/osage-code-talkers-honored-with-us-congressional-gold-medal/. Accessed February 16, 2018.
