FORT JACKSON, S.C. (Nov. 25, 2014) -- It's easy to take for granted the diversity represented in the modern American military. Because of this, the Army takes the time throughout the year to recognize and celebrate the variety of cultural heritages of the men and women in uniform.
Sgt. 1st Class Rachelle Walker-Woods, the equal opportunity adviser for the 193rd Infantry Brigade, was recently looking for a Soldier to highlight for Native American Heritage Month, recognized in November. Because of her role in the brigade she had access to the kinds of demographics that tells her quite a bit about the heritage of the Soldiers at Fort Jackson.
"I get a report every quarter that breaks down the gender and ethnicity, (illustrating) what we have in our brigade," Walker-Woods said. "As I was going through the files, I knew I had to create a display for Native American Heritage Month, but I only saw two or three possibilities."
After a little detective work, she was able to identify Master Sgt. Lori Faircloth, of the 3rd Battalion, 13th Infantry Regiment, who is a member of the Coharie Tribe in Clinton, North Carolina.
"There are about 4,000 enrolled members," Faircloth said. "We're a state-recognized tribe currently trying to get federal recognition."
Her father is a retired Marine and Vietnam veteran who served as chief of the Coharie, which is descended from the Iroquois nation and one of eight tribes located in North Carolina.
"We live on Indian Town Road. It's not a reservation because we're not federally recognized," Faircloth said. "But the majority of the people who live there are American Indian. We're a close-knit neighborhood."
Her father was chief of the tribe for eight years, a position that sometimes pushed Faircloth and her sister into roles of junior ambassadors.
"We have four different communities within the area in which we live, and everything is centered around the church," she said.
The Coharie tribe's powwow takes place in September and kicks off the powwow season on the east coast, she said.
"We dance, we sing, we just have a good time," she said. "It's like a big homecoming."
Part of the brigade's goal of celebrating Native American Heritage Month is to prompt Soldiers to share more about themselves, Walker-Woods said.
"When I looked up the percentages of American Indians/Alaskan natives, it was only about 1.9 percent in the entire Army," Walker-Woods said. "That was shocking to me."
Faircloth said she thinks educating others about her heritage is important.
"I had to educate quite a few people recently who thought I can make it rain because I'm an American Indian," Faircloth said.
Education is one of the reasons the brigade celebrates its cultural and ethnic traditions throughout the year, Walker-Woods said. Faircloth is being showcased on the promotional materials being displayed on post this year for Native American Heritage Month.
"When I was in Basic (Combat) Training, I met someone from Guam," Walker-Woods said. "Before that, I'd never heard of Guam. With these displays, it shows the Soldiers in training how diverse the military is."
Social Sharing