Lodge to be built, benefits expanded for Chickasaw vets

This article appeared in the June 2015 edition of the Chickasaw Times

THACKERVILLE, Okla. – The Chickasaw Nation launched a major outreach in May to bring tribal veterans together and to offer new initiatives for veterans.

Governor Bill Anoatubby, speaking to Chickasaw veterans last month at a gathering at the tribe’s WinStar World Casinos & Resort, unveiled the Chickasaw Warrior Society. The society will be comprised of retired and active duty military members with Chickasaw heritage. He also announced the tribe would build a 13,200 square-foot Veterans Lodge for them. He pledged an expansion of tribal benefits to Chickasaw veterans that will “reach out to our veterans across this country.”

The lodge will be built on the grounds of the Chickasaw Nation Medical Center in Ada, Okla. The facility will provide a place for fellowship and gathering where Chickasaw veterans can enjoy fellowship and “swap a few stories,” Gov. Anoatubby said.

Building the new structure at the Chickasaw Nation Medical Center will enable veterans who seek medical services there easy access to the lodge.

Hundreds gathered May 18 at WinStar for a Chickasaw veterans conference. Gov. Anoatubby told those gathered for the first Chickasaw Veterans and Chickasaw Warrior Society meeting, the lodge would be a place for “comfort for our warriors and their families.” More importantly, he said, it would “be a place for our veterans to gain access and resources that are available – and will be available – from the Chickasaw Nation in the future. It is an honor for the Chickasaw Nation to construct this lodge for Chickasaw Warriors and active duty personnel.

“The reputation of the Chickasaw warrior is legendary,” Gov. Anoatubby said.

The ancient Chickasaw Nation, Gov. Anoatubby said, was known as a warrior nation. When required, Chickasaw women fought alongside men in battle and “they were fierce,” he said. “They didn’t take prisoners.”

Small in number, the Chickasaws defended a large swath of their homelands and tribal territory from intruders and enemies, James R. Floyd, director of the Jack C. Montgomery Veterans Administration Medical Center in Muskogee, Okla., said. Not only did Chickasaws virtually own the Mississippi River, but history shows the tribe’s frequent forays advanced into Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and even Illinois.

“For this reason, we encourage our Chickasaw Warriors and active duty personnel to join the Chickasaw Warrior Society,” Gov. Anoatubby said. “A charter, a website and a logo are also in the works.

“Help us to serve you better. We are looking to do something special for Chickasaw veterans. Whatever we do can never repay the debt of gratitude we owe.”

Did You Know?
Native Americans represent the largest percent per capita of any ethnicity of soldiers who have fought in military campaigns for America throughout history, according to James Floyd of the Veterans Administration. The Chickasaw Nation has more than 1,600 active duty military members, has a citizenship of more than 60,000, is the state’s seventh-largest employer with more than 13,000 workers and is the nation’s 12th-largest Native American tribe.