Native American Veterans Share Their Experiences in Vietnam

In recognition of Native American Heritage Month, this video highlights the wartime experiences of two Native Americans. Donald Parish, a Navy Corpsman in Vietnam, was born on the Indian Reservation now known as the Bay Mills Indian Community, in Michigan. He is a member of the Ojibwa (Chippewa) Tribe. He was awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart Medals for his selfless actions as a Navy Corpsman serving with Marines in Quang Tri Province in March 1968. Melvin "Mel" Sheldon, a helicopter pilot in Vietnam, is the grandson of a member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe and his father was from the Tulalip tribes in Washington State. The irony was not lost on him that he flew OH-6 "Cayuse" helicopters as a scout in Vietnam with the U.S. Army's 9th Cavalry Regiment. He used the call sign "Red-Cloud." During his tour in Vietnam he flew "hunter killer" missions in III Corps and into Cambodia while Lam Son 719 was ongoing. He was awarded the Air Medal with "V" for his heroism.