Crow Tribe war chief, WWII hero remembered as “great man in two worlds.”
Joseph Medicine Crow, the last in a long line of Crow Tribe War chiefs and a celebrated Native American historian, was laid to rest Wednesday during a memorial service at Montana’s Crow Reservation. More than 700 mourners — including Montana Governor Steve Bullock, several other state officials, and tribal leaders in ceremonial headdresses — attended the event honoring the World War II veteran described by tribal chairman Darrin Old Coyote as “a great man in two worlds.”
Medicine Crow — who passed away Sunday at age 102 after a lengthy illness — became the first person to be buried in the tribe's Apsaalooke Veterans Cemetery. As the Associated Press reported: “He attained the title of war chief for a series of deeds performed during combat in World War II, including hand-to-hand combat with a German soldier whose life Medicine Crow spared. During the war, he wore an eagle feather under his helmet and war paint beneath his uniform. He later said that Plains Indian warfare was not about killing so much as leadership, honor and intelligence.”
After the war, Medicine Crow spent more than 50 years cataloguing Crow history and culture. In 2009, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.
But Medicine Crow’s greatest honor, President Obama said in a statement read at the Wednesday service, “is the one that came from his people, the title of war chief, the last Crow to hold that distinction. He was dedicated to sharing stories of his culture and his people, and he helped shape a fuller history for all of us.”
Gov. Steve Bullock ordered flags to fly at half-staff across Montana Wednesday to honor Medicine Crow. “Let’s remember all that Joe fought for,” the governor said Wednesday. “For freedom, the history and traditions of the Crow people, the opportunity that comes with education, and the value of a story well told.”
