Crow Chief receives Medal of Freedom

WASHINGTON – A 95-year-old Crow Indian who went into battle wearing war paint under his World War II uniform has been awarded the nation’s highest civilian honour.

Wearing a traditional headdress, Joe Medicine Crow on Wednesday received the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House. The award was clasped around his neck by President Barack Obama.’Dr. Medicine Crow’s life reflects not only the warrior spirit of the Crow people, but America’s highest ideals,’ Obama said as he introduced him and called him ‘a good man’ in the Crow language.Medicine Crow broke tradition and briefly spoke after Obama gave him the medal, telling the president he was ‘highly honoured’ to receive it.Other recipients this year were Senator Edward M Kennedy, physicist Stephen Hawking, retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa and 12 other actors, athletes, activists, scientists and humanitarians.The president met Medicine Crow during a campaign stop last year when Obama, then a US senator, was adopted as an honorary member of the Crow tribe.In 1939, Medicine Crow became the first of his tribe to receive a master’s degree, in anthropology. He is the oldest member of the Crow and the tribe’s sole surviving war chief – an honour bestowed for a series of accomplishments during World War II, including hand-to-hand combat with a German soldier whose life Medicine Crow spared.After the war, he became tribal historian for the Crow and lectured extensively on the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Medicine Crow’s grandfather served as a scout for the doomed forces of Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer.Medicine Crow was nominated for the presidential medal by Sen. Jon Tester of Montana and former Senator Alan Simpson of Wyoming.- Nampa-AP

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.

The Namibian uses AI tools to assist with improved quality, accuracy and efficiency, while maintaining editorial oversight and journalistic integrity.