Mr. Don Poss:

Your email to Chad Smith, Principal Chief, Cherokee Nation was forwarded to me for response. I served in the Marine Corps from February of 1966 to November of 1969. I served a tour of duty in Vietnam in 1969. I have visited your website honoring American Indian veterans.

I will list those I know to be Cherokee (listed) and (not listed):

Robert Lee Blackfox, Cherokee (listed); Bruce Edward Deerinwater, Cherokee (listed); William Archie Gritts, Cherokee (listed); Ferrell Hummingbird, Cherokee, (listed); Jessie Lee Ridge, Cherokee (listed); and, Jackie Lee Sawney, Cherokee (listed).
Edward Eugene Christie, Cherokee (not listed) and Josh Peters, Cherokee (not listed).

Here are some personal asides about some of these young men.

Robert Lee Blackfox was my cousin and we grew up in the same community. The Blackfox-Hartness American Legion Post 135, in Tahlequah, is named in honor of Robert Blackfox and Roger Dale Hartness. I also knew Roger Dale Hartness and I believe he may have been a mixed-blood Cherokee but I am not able to verify that at this time. Roger was a year or two behind me at Tahlequah High School. His older brother Eddie and I were classmates. Eddie also served in Vietnam. Edward Eugene Christie was a Cherokee is not listed as American Indian. Eddie lived in the community next to mine. He attended a rural school as did I and we often played ball against each other. In the summer, I would go to the Barron Fork Creek in the Eldon community to swim under the Eldon Bridge. Eldon is just about three miles from my community and that is where Eddie lived. Eddie was there most of the time and we often visited and swam together.

Josh Peters is not listed. He is Cherokee from the Kenwood community near Salina, Oklahoma. I had met Josh when he attended Sequoyah High School.

Ferrell Hummingbird enlisted in the Marine Corps while his family lived in California in what is called the relocation program.

Darlene Pritchett, Ferrell's sister, works for the Cherokee Nation and his mother now lives in Tahlequah. Two years ago, I helped Tinker Perkins, a Choctaw, to find Ferrell's family. Tinker was with Ferrell when he was mortally wounded by a sniper while sweeping a village. Tinker helped put "Bird" on the medeva chopper. I had initially met Tinker in California while I was in the Corps. He was a friend of my cousin, William Fourkiller, also in the Marine Corps. Both Tinker and William's families lived in L.A. at that time and both their families were on the relocation program. Ferrell had a daughter who was born while he was in Vietnam. She recently got in touch with the Hummingbird family as well. I hope this helps. Richard L. Allen, D.Ed. (Sgt. USMC) Research & Policy Analyst

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Name: Richard Allen
Date: 08/14/2000Time: 08:34:24
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