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Minnie Spotted-Wolf

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Minnie Spotted-Wolf
Born1923
Heart Butte, Montana
Died1988 (aged 64–65)
AllegianceUnited States
Service / branchUnited States Marine Corps
Years of service1943–1945
RankPrivate
Battles / warsWorld War II
Alma materBS, Elementary Education, 1976
Other workTeacher

Minnie Spotted-Wolf (1923–1988) was the first Native American woman to enlist in the United States Marine Corps.[1]

Biography

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Minnie Spotted-Wolf enlisted in the Marine Corps Women's Reserve in July 1943.[2]

Spotted-Wolf, from Heart Butte, Montana, was a member of the Blackfoot tribe. Prior to joining the Marines, she had worked on her father's ranch doing such chores as cutting fence posts, driving a two-ton truck, and breaking horses.[3] Known for her skill for breaking horses, she described Marine boot camp as: "hard but not too hard."[4]

She served on military bases in California and Hawaii. She worked as a heavy equipment operator and a driver for general officers.[3]

Press coverage of her wartime service included headlines like Minnie, Pride of the Marines, Is Bronc-Busting Indian Queen.[5]

She was discharged in 1947.[1]

After her military service, she earned a degree in Elementary Education, and spent 29 years as a teacher.[3]

According to her daughter, "she could outride guys into her early 50s."[5]

Tribute

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In 2019, a section of US Highway 89 in Pondera County, MT was dedicated as "Minnie Spotted-Wolf Memorial Highway”.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c ""Minnie Spotted-Wolf Memorial Highway" dedicated". 10 August 2019.
  2. ^ "History of the Women Marines". Women Marines Association. Archived from the original on 2006-06-16. Retrieved 2006-08-10.
  3. ^ a b c White, Cody (25 July 2013). "Minnie Spotted Wolf and the Marine Corps". Prologue: Pieces of History. National Archives.
  4. ^ "WWII – First USMC Native American Minnie Spotted Wolf" Archived 2017-08-12 at the Wayback Machine. Armed Forces History Museum. 29 July 2013.
  5. ^ a b Montana Historical Society (26 August 2014). ""You Have to Take What They Send You Now Days": Montana Women's Service in World War II". Women's History Matters. Montana Historical Society

Sources

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Further reading

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