No veteran wants to realize that their command lied to get them to commit war crimes. In the film The Last Samurai, Tom Cruise plays a Civil War veteran haunted by his part in the Washita Battle. In my view, honoring veterans begins by honoring the truth, the rules of military engagement and heroism. And it’s important to get it right, not just for the veterans, but so we get it right in future conflicts.

The US Cavalry here were told inaccurate stories about the Cheyenne, that they were all savage warriors, that they had killed more settlers than they had, and that they must all be punished for their crimes. They were ordered to attack a peaceful village of non-combatant elderly men, women & children while they slept and to destroy their possessions so the survivors would starve during winter. Despite inferior weapons, the Native Americans defended themselves bravely.

The village Chief, Black Kettle, survived the Sand Creek Massacre, and still counseled peace with the US, until the US Cavalry killed him here. Yes, some of the Cheyenne were angry over that earlier massacre, and they raided settlements. But most of the raids were thefts of food and cattle and destroying property, after the US government reneged on its treaty promises to provide food, land and compensation. Yes, some white settlers were killed by renegades, including women and children, but for every settler killed, hundreds of natives were killed, for ever cow stolen, tens of thousands of bison were killed. Three months before the massacre here, Chief Little Rock agreed to turn over those responsible for raids, but he was also killed protecting women and children as they escaped down the Washita River.

Generals Sheridan and Sherman exaggerated the number of white settlers killed to justify declaring war on the entire tribe. No culture is entirely comprised of warriors, but Sheridan and Sherman promoted that lie to encourage the troops to commit war crimes against peaceful non-combatants, including women and children. Custer was unconcerned about whether the village was peaceful or harboring fugitives. He was just interested in surrounding the village and killing all the men, some of the women and children and taking hostages. He showed the same disinterest in sizing up his target at Little Bighorn.

The US government repeatedly lied to the Native Americans, broke treaties, ignored Supreme Court orders, forcibly deported tribes, ordered troops to war against allied and peaceful tribes, stole lands, burned homes and possessions, drove the bison to the edge of extinction (50 million to 500), destroyed crops, introduced diseases, forced children into re-education centers, and tried to destroy native culture, language and religion, all to promote a near-genocidal racist policy of populating most of the country primarily with white settlers.

Those US military and government acts and policies were wrong, and we should honor our veterans and flag by admitting the truth, so that we can act correctly in the future. We do not teach our children that if they want something, they should take it by force and then lie about it. We do not believe that declaring war justifies intentionally killing civilian non-combatants, including women and children. And we should not lie to our children to excuse the mistakes of our ancestors.

Unfortunately, rather than confront the one-sided and disproportionately violent history against Native Americans, the old excuses for US war crimes still continue today, funded by your tax dollars. The pamphlet for this site blames Native American raids for the Sand Creek Massacre, the film describes the Cheyenne as a hostile warrior culture (because they eat bison?!?), and the site presents the “battle” as a necessary victory to achieve peace and open the west. No. Without justice, there is no peace. And the west was already open: California had been a state since 1850.

That our ancestors engaged in avoidable, brutal massacres out of racism and greed is upsetting, albeit truthful. Our veterans deserve to live in a truthful country. The Native Americans who contributed to this site are doing a public service in telling us the truth, and we owe it to them to listen. That some people today, 150 years later, still whitewash history with dishonest racist pseudo-justifications is unacceptable. That the park service here misinforms visitors and believes 1/2 of its mission is to excuse tragic avoidable war crimes is profoundly wrong.