Kelly Anungazuk
Soldier, Warrior
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A member of the Kiowa Tribe, based on a reservation in soutwestern Oklahoma, Kelly Anungzuk served in the U.S. Army from 1970-1973.
Originally indigenous to the Northern Plains ranging from British Columbia to western Montana, the Kiowa eventually migrated to the Southern Plains and then were confined to a reservation by the U.S. government in 1867. Originally a nomadic people, the Kiowa were known for their horsemanship and warrior culture. They fought frequently with other American Indian nations including the Cheyenne, Arapaho, Navajo, Ute, and Lakota. Once they were displaced during the period of Indian Removal, they also came into conflict with peoples from the South and East inclduing the Cherokee, Choctaw, Muskogee, and Chickasaw.
Like other Plains Indians people, many Kiowa found the forced transition to reservation life difficult. However, an agreement signed by 456 male Kiowa people to accept land allotments in exchange for selling their reservation lands to white settlers was later challenged in the Supreme Court.
Like other American Indians, the Kiowa were declared to be U.S. citizens in 1924 making them eligible for the peacetime draft when it was reinstated in 1940. Many Kiowa people served in World War II as well as the conflicts of the Cold War period including Korea and Vietnam.
After serving in Vietnam, Kelly Anungazuk settled in Nome Alaska where he was photographed during an expedition by VA agents to locate Native veterans in Alaska to help make sure they received government benefits. Anungazuk remained proud of his Army service.
