Dwight W. Birdwell was born in Amarillo, Texas, on Jan. 19, 1948. He grew up in the small, predominantly Cherokee Indian community of Bell in Adair County, Oklahoma. He attended Bell Grade School, and graduated from Stilwell High School in 1966. A citizen of the Cherokee Nation, he entered the Army on May 24, 1966, and earned two Silver Stars, a Bronze Star for meritorious service and two Purple Hearts.
Birdwell was assigned to Troop C, 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry, 25th Infantry Division. He received the first Silver Star for heroism on Jan. 31, 1968, when his unit raced to defend Tan Son Nhut Air Base, which was under attack during the Tet Offensive. Cavalry Troop C was the first American ground unit from outside the airbase to respond to the attack. When Birdwell's tank commander was seriously wounded, Birdwell took command and placed intense fire on the enemy until his ammunition was expended. He then retrieved an M-60 machine gun and continued firing at the enemy until the weapon was damaged by enemy fire, which also wounded Birdwell. With disregard for his own safety, he ran through a hail of enemy fire to get more ammunition for his men from other damaged vehicles.
On the night of July 4, 1968, he again risked his life to rescue more Americans, some of them wounded, who were stranded in a battle zone in an enemy-occupied village. Seeing a damaged Army personnel carrier, he exposed himself to heavy enemy fire while loading all of the wounded and evacuating them to safety. He then went back into the village to rescue more Americans, for which he was awarded his second Silver Star for bravery.
Birdwell returned home in December 1968. He attended Northeastern State University, and then the University of Oklahoma School of Law, graduating in 1976. He and his wife of 53 years have two children and two grandchildren.
Birdwell was a member of the Judicial Appeals Tribunal (Supreme Court) of the Cherokee Nation from 1987 to 1999, serving as its chief justice from 1995 to 1996 and 1998 to 1999. He is now a practicing attorney in Oklahoma City. For a number of years he served on the Cherokee Nation Judicial Appeals Tribunal.