https://dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories/the-war-chief-who-became-a-peace-chief/
> Joseph Medicine Crow, the last war chief of the Apsáalooke (Crow) Nation, World War II hero, recipient of a Presidential Medal of Freedom, renowned Native American historian and USC Dornsife alumnus devoted his life to overcoming intolerance.
> Serving as a U.S. Army scout during World War II, Joseph Medicine Crow was rounding a corner in a small French town when he collided with a strapping, young German soldier. Medicine Crow, who was wearing war paint beneath his uniform and had a yellow eagle feather concealed inside his helmet, was not a big man, but he didn’t shoot the enemy. Instead, he disarmed the German with a boot thrust. Throwing his own rifle aside, he overpowered the larger man in hand-to-hand combat. While Medicine Crow was choking him, the German’s eyes rolled back in his head and he gasped “Mama, Mama.” Recounting the tale many years later, Medicine Crow said the soldier’s plea brought him to his senses.
> “I let go of him and got my rifle back and he became my prisoner,” he told his son, Ronald Medicine Crow. “We sat down, away from all the shouting and fighting, and I shared a cigarette with him.”
> According to Crow tradition, a warrior must fulfill four requirements to be named a war chief. Medicine Crow accomplished all four during WWII: leading a successful war party, touching an enemy soldier without killing him, disarming an enemy soldier, and capturing an enemy’s horse. Indeed, among his war exploits, Medicine Crow is credited with capturing 50 horses from a Nazi SS camp and successfully leading a team of soldiers to dynamite German artillery.
MinuteWaitingPostman on
The thing that is both badass and simultaneously infuriating is that the horse rule remains in place afaik. A later warrior of the same tribe fighting for the US in Vietnam was snubbed of the title because he couldn’t steal a horse.
He stole an elephant, arguably even more badass, but an elephant isn’t a horse. If the challenge wasn’t just symbolic at this point they could have swapped out the horse for any mount or just a vehicle to make it attainable.
AdventurousCrow155 on
Sometimes I go on youtube, see a fun history fact, and see a post like this.
Watched Youthpastor Ryan talk about this guy. I know your inspiration
Nuclear-Jester on
“…are we really the Master Race?”~The SS if they were capable of critical thoughts after the dude humiliated them
TheUnquenchable19 on
The Chubby Electron Guy has a great video about this dude. And his nephew almost achieved the title as well, but he stole an enemy elephant instead of a horse.
5 Comments
https://dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories/the-war-chief-who-became-a-peace-chief/
> Joseph Medicine Crow, the last war chief of the Apsáalooke (Crow) Nation, World War II hero, recipient of a Presidential Medal of Freedom, renowned Native American historian and USC Dornsife alumnus devoted his life to overcoming intolerance.
> Serving as a U.S. Army scout during World War II, Joseph Medicine Crow was rounding a corner in a small French town when he collided with a strapping, young German soldier. Medicine Crow, who was wearing war paint beneath his uniform and had a yellow eagle feather concealed inside his helmet, was not a big man, but he didn’t shoot the enemy. Instead, he disarmed the German with a boot thrust. Throwing his own rifle aside, he overpowered the larger man in hand-to-hand combat. While Medicine Crow was choking him, the German’s eyes rolled back in his head and he gasped “Mama, Mama.” Recounting the tale many years later, Medicine Crow said the soldier’s plea brought him to his senses.
> “I let go of him and got my rifle back and he became my prisoner,” he told his son, Ronald Medicine Crow. “We sat down, away from all the shouting and fighting, and I shared a cigarette with him.”
> According to Crow tradition, a warrior must fulfill four requirements to be named a war chief. Medicine Crow accomplished all four during WWII: leading a successful war party, touching an enemy soldier without killing him, disarming an enemy soldier, and capturing an enemy’s horse. Indeed, among his war exploits, Medicine Crow is credited with capturing 50 horses from a Nazi SS camp and successfully leading a team of soldiers to dynamite German artillery.
The thing that is both badass and simultaneously infuriating is that the horse rule remains in place afaik. A later warrior of the same tribe fighting for the US in Vietnam was snubbed of the title because he couldn’t steal a horse.
He stole an elephant, arguably even more badass, but an elephant isn’t a horse. If the challenge wasn’t just symbolic at this point they could have swapped out the horse for any mount or just a vehicle to make it attainable.
Sometimes I go on youtube, see a fun history fact, and see a post like this.
Watched Youthpastor Ryan talk about this guy. I know your inspiration
“…are we really the Master Race?”~The SS if they were capable of critical thoughts after the dude humiliated them
The Chubby Electron Guy has a great video about this dude. And his nephew almost achieved the title as well, but he stole an enemy elephant instead of a horse.