Lori Piestewa
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Pfc. Lori Ann Piestewa (December 14, 1980 - March 2003) was an Army soldier killed during the same Iraqi Army attack in which her friend Jessica Lynch was injured. A member of the Hopi tribe, Piestewa was the first woman killed in the 2003 Iraq war and is the first Native American woman to die in combat while serving with the U.S. military. She was 23 years old.
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Piestew's Youth
Piestewa was born and raised in Tuba City, a town with more than a 50% unemployment rate. Her family had a long military tradition, with both Piestewa's father and grandfather having served in the army. Neighbors described her as, while generally supportive of the army, having joined primarily to provide a secure income for her and her two children, Brandon and Carla Whiterock.
Ambush in Nasiriyah, Iraq
Piestewa was a member of the army's 507th Army Maintenance Company, a support unit of clerks, repairmen and cooks. Her company lost their way during the opening days of the war and ran into an ambush in Nasiriyah in southern Iraq on March 23, 2003.
Attempting to save herself and others, Piestewa drove a Humvee through a hail of gunfire until the vehicle was struck by a rocket propelled grenade and crashed. Three other soldiers in the Humvee died in the crash. Piestewa and Jessica Lynch both survived but were severely wounded. They were taken prisoner, with Piestewa dying soon after of her wounds. A video of some of the American Prisoners of War, including Piestewa (filmed shortly before she died in an Iraqi hospital), was later shown around the world on Al Jazeera television.
Honoring Piestewa
Piestewa was awarded the Purple Heart and Prisoner of War Medal (although a number of people felt that she deserved additional medals for her actions). The army posthumously promoted her from Private First Class to Specialist First Class.
Jessica Lynch has repeatedly said that Piestewa is the true hero of the ambush. In addition, many entities have honored her memory with memorials. Arizona's state government renamed Squaw Peak]] in the Phoenix Mountains (whose original name many found offensive) near Phoenix as Piestewa Peak. In addition, Senator Tom Daschle honored her, as did Indian Nations across America. Since her death, the Grand Canyon Games organizers have held an annual Lori Piestewa National Native American Games, which brings participants from across the country. A plaque bearing her name is also located at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
Her death led to a rare joint prayer gathering between members of the Hopi and Navajo tribes, which have had a centuries-old rivalry.
External Links
- A Wrong Turn in the Desert (http://www.oshadavidson.com/Piestewa.htm) Detailed article from Rolling Stone magazine about Piestewa and her death.
- Lori Piestewa - Native American Hero (http://coelacanth.aug.com/captbarb/piestewa.html)
- What About Private Lori? (http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,933586,00.html)