Photo by Christian ToewsRepresentatives of the Choctaw Nation, including District 10 Council Member Anthony Dillard, pay their respects to Choctaw WWI soldiers who lost their lives in France.
District 10, December 2023
By Tribal Councilmember Anthony Dillard
December 1, 2023
Halito,
Chim Achukma from District 10! I hope you and your families are ready for the fall season! Just wrapping up Veterans Day weekend, we had the privilege of paying our respects to our veterans who have fought to keep our country free. Yakoke, Thank you. As we prepare for this Thanksgiving holiday, remember all the reasons we must be thankful for and our blessings in the Choctaw Nation.
The Choctaw Nation Leadership recently visited France, where we were honored to participate in the 105th-year celebration of the battle at Saint Etienne-a-Arnes. Our Choctaw Code Talkers were involved in a war that liberated the town in WWI. Also, while in France, we visited the WWI Meuse Argonne American Cemetery and the Normandy American Cemetery, both of which had Choctaw Soldiers buried there. We saw each grave, where we placed flags, Choctaw Veterans coins, and Code Talker coins on each headstone; then, we sang Choctaw hymns — a humbling and emotional experience to participate in.
Yakoke!