Lori Piestewa
US Army, 2001-2003, Operation Iraqi Freedom

Title

Lori Piestewa
US Army, 2001-2003, Operation Iraqi Freedom

Description

Not only the first servicewoman killed in action in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Lori Piestewa, of the Hopi tribe, is also the first known American Indian woman killed in combat in the service of the United States. While on convoy in southwestern Iraq, her unit, the 507th Maintenance Company was ambushed on March 23, 2003, the fourth day of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Eight other Soldiers were killed, four wounded, and six taken prisoner. The death of the 23-year-old mother of two young children struck a chord with the nation. A third-generation soldier, her grandfather fought in World War II, her father served in Vietnam and her interest in the military began in high school when she became a leader in the Marine Corps Junior ROTC program. She enlisted in the Army in 2001, completed basic training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Lee, Virginia. Her first assignment was at Fort Bliss, Texas, with the 507th Maintenance Company where she kept track of supplies used by the unit. It was with this unit that she deployed to the Middle East in February 2003. Her brother, Wayland Piestewa recalled, “We think about the impact she’s had and at the same time we know she’s up in the shadow of the sacred peaks.”

Files

Lori Piestewa-Studio.jpg
Lori Piestewa-BDUs.jpg

Citation

“Lori Piestewa
US Army, 2001-2003, Operation Iraqi Freedom,” The Military Women's Memorial - Exhibits , accessed March 29, 2024, https://mwm.omeka.net/items/show/19.