Military service members stationed in Singapore celebrated Native American Heritage Month at the Singapore Area Coordinator's (SAC) Cafe Lah Community Center Nov. 16, 2017.

More than a dozen military service members attended the hour-long event that highlighted the achievements and contributions of Native Americans and Alaskans to both the United States and the American military experience.

For Chief Hospital Corpsman Kadia Griffin, the Diversity and Heritage Committee Chairperson for SAC, the event was also a way to celebrate diversity as a whole.

"It's important for everyone to see the contributions that other people have done for the country," Griffin said. "Diversity brings a lot to the table and enables us to gain different perspectives in doing things and it's really good to embrace the different nationalities and cultures that our military community has."

Throughout the presentation, Sailors and Soldiers gave short presentations on American Indian and Alaskan contributions to include announcing public law 101-343, dated November 1990, in which the 101st Congress designated the month of November as National American Indian Heritage Month.

The service members then discussed military contributions from some past Native Americans awarded the Medal of Honor. One of the veterans highlighted was Mitchell Red Cloud Jr., a Winnebago Indian from Wisconsin who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during the Korean War. The Navajo Code Talkers were also highlighted as playing an intrinsic part of the Allied victory of World War II.

In addition to these military contributions, attendees learned about the various Native American tribes that are spread across North America. A list of Native American inventions was also presented that included the act of Freeze-drying in which early Andean Amerindian peoples had freeze-dried potatoes and other food items to be transported over long distances. Other inventions included: pest control techniques, oral contraceptives, lacrosse, and certain anesthetics.

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