Young tribal members joining National Guard
Young National Guards officers posed for a photo at the Lakota Nation Invitational in January. Left to right, Megan Howe, a junior at Crow Creek High School, Michaela Swanson, a 2012 graduate of Crow Creek High School, SPC Andre Crow Eagle, a graduate of St. Francis High School, Tiffany Coleman, a graduate of Lower Brule High School, now works with the Lower Brule Fire Agency, and Allison Morrisette, 2012 graduate of Bennett County High School.
RAPID CITY, SD—Back in the days of the Viet Nam War, a kid who got into trouble could choose to go into the military or go to jail. Today that choice is no longer an option.
According to US Army National Guard Sergeant First Class Richard Kirkpatrick, “Today we want the better people. We want the people who are there because they want to be.”
Some of the youngest recruits join as a way to pay for college while learning a skill, and yet others are just looking to live a better life. The decision to join took some into active duty, where the National Guard became more than a leg up and is now th...
