Canada’s Indigenous veterans faced tough battles — abroad and at home

John Moses says that when his father, Russell Moses, returned on leave from the Korean War, his battles were not over.

When the Indigenous residential school survivor returned to Canada in 1952, he was barred from entering a bar in Hagersville, Ont., because of his race, his son said.

“It wasn't anything unique,” said John Moses, a member of the Delaware and Upper Mohawk gangs of the Six Nations of Grand River and a third-generation member of the Canadian Forces.

His father, who served in the Navy during the Korean War and then joined the Air Force, died in 2013, and his grandfather, Ted Moses, was a mechanic in the Ontario Air Force during World War II.

“The irony of the situation was never lost on returning veterans,” said Moses, a communications research operator in the Armed Forces in the 1980s and later worked at the Canadian Museum of History as director of repatriation and Indigenous relations.

“After fighting for the sovereignty of small countries abroad, they return to a country within which we did not yet enjoy the same set of civil and political rights as other Canadians.”

Canada is marking Indigenous Veterans Day on Saturday, highlighting the wartime experience that historian Scott Sheffield said was a place where some could find a sense of belonging, away from the racism at home.

Indigenous Veterans Day began as a grassroots movement in Winnipeg in 1993, but has since become nationally recognized, with Sheffield calling it “the logical predecessor to Remembrance Day” on November 11.

Sheffield, an assistant professor of history at the University of the Fraser Valley in British Columbia, says many question why Indigenous people would choose to fight for a country that marginalized them.

He said the reasons vary depending on the person and the war, and in many cases, Indigenous fighters volunteered for the same reasons as others, such as adventure or economic reasons.

But for some, Sheffield said, it was a political statement.

“By joining the army, they were kind of declaring their right to belong, to be part of Canadian society,” he said.

Camaraderie and acceptance disappeared after the war.

One example was Tommy Prince, one of Canada's most decorated World War II veterans, who “went to war with distinction to prove that an Indian was as good as any white man.”

“He served his entire career with the goal of proving that he was a superior soldier, which he did in spades, but part of it was to make that statement,” Sheffield said.

He said the “most consistent thread” that emerged in the Indigenous war experience was that the service “eliminated many of the prejudices” that Indigenous soldiers faced in everyday life in Canada.

“If you shared a trench with this guy, the only thing you cared about was his character as long as you had confidence that he would back you up, and that's what I think the Indigenous men really valued – that they gained respect for their character and their abilities as soldiers, and that was really the main thing they took away from that experience,” he said.

But the stories also echoed Russell Moses' experience: At home, camaraderie seemed to disappear.

“Frankly, they expected this acceptance to continue after the war, and it was even more disappointing because they returned home to Canada, where in many ways, even without the uniform, they were still — in their words — 'just Indians again,'” Sheffield said.

He said many Indigenous World War II veterans re-enlisted to serve in the Korean War, “perhaps to recapture some of that sense of acceptance and purpose.”

Thousands served

The federal government says on its veterans website that more than 4,000 Indigenous people served in uniform during the First World War, a “remarkable response” with one in three able-bodied men volunteering. Communities, including the Lake Band Chapter in British Columbia, saw all men between the ages of 20 and 35 enlist.

The veterans website says more than 3,000 Indigenous people served in World War II.

But Sheffield said that may be an understatement.

“Nowhere in the records was the ethnicity or race of the person recorded,” said Sheffield, who estimates there were about 4,300 Indigenous soldiers in World War II.

“Walk the path of reconciliation”

The government acknowledges the unfair treatment of Indigenous soldiers, noting that many believed their sacrifice would “improve rights and conditions in Canada.” This, he admits, did not happen and “had long-lasting physical and social consequences for Indigenous veterans and their communities.”

As reconciliation efforts have gained momentum in recent years, so too have efforts to recognize Indigenous veterans, both on Nov. 8 and through an initiative called the Last Post Fund's Indigenous Initiative.

The foundation has been in existence since 1909 and its mission is to ensure that no veteran is denied a dignified funeral, burial, or military gravestone.

The Indigenous Veterans Initiative began in March 2019 and to date says more than 265 headstones have been ordered and installed, and 24 Indigenous researchers across the country are searching for the graves of unrecognized veterans.

Among the researchers is Floyd Powder, who served 32 years in the Canadian Forces before retiring in 2013.

It identifies the graves of Indigenous veterans who do not have a headstone. He said every marker should include an Indigenous symbol or language.

“This shows the family that Veterans Affairs Canada and the Last Post Foundation recognize their service and honor them by placing these considerations regarding symbols and language on their gravestone,” he said in an interview.

Veterans Affairs Canada, which is helping fund the project, said in a statement that observing Indigenous Veterans Day does not replace Remembrance Day.

“It in no way replaces or cancels Remembrance Day—instead, it enhances Veterans Week celebrations by highlighting the tremendous history of service to Indigenous people,” the statement said.

Sheffield said Nov. 8 serves as a reminder of the mutual respect and camaraderie experienced by soldiers, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, as they served side by side long before reconciliation efforts began.

“I think this is something that we may also need to take to heart, and it can help us as we walk the path of reconciliation and try to find a way to successfully and respectfully coexist in our country in the future.”