Distinctly Montana Magazine

w w w . d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m 101 Lyle adorned the shoulder portion of the traditional half of the sculpture with horse hair and included scalps on the war- rior's lower arm. Detailed quill work, majestic feathers, a tex- tured fox-hide hat, and a traditional Sioux eagle-bone breast- plate also make up the traditional portion of the sculpture. The American soldier segment of the piece features a stan- dard World War II uniform, including a steel helmet that transitions into the fox head using camouflage and leaves. The sculpture eventually passed the "Dave test." "He really liked it," Lyle said with a wistful smile. "A Tribute to the Native American Soldier" is all but ready to go to the foundry to be cast into bronze. Lyle said he has no idea where it will end up. "I just felt inspired to do it so it had to be done, and where that all goes—I'm not sure," he said. "You don't see much about Native American soldiers, and I just want people to be aware of how much the Native Americans have contributed to our nation." According to the nonprofit United Service Organizations (USO), Native Americans serve in the U.S. Armed Forces at five times the national average. Ninety percent of the 42,000 Ameri- can Indians who served in the Vietnam War were volunteers. Approximately 350,000 Native Americans lived in the U.S. during World War II. "Nearly 45,000 of them enlisted in the military, making them the demographic with the highest vol- untary enlistment throughout the entire war," the USO said. As many as 70 percent of the men in certain Tribal Nations enlisted in the armed forces during those trying years. Today, Native Americans continue to serve in the military at a higher rate than any other demographic in our nation, according to the USO. ACCORDING TO THE NONPROFIT UNITED SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS (USO), NATIVE AMERICANS SERVE IN THE U.S. ARMED FORCES AT FIVE TIMES THE NATIONAL AVERAGE.

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