By Byron Pitts
January 21, 2013
PUEBLO WEST, Colo. – About 2,800 groups applied to be part of the Inaugural parade on Monday. The president’s inaugural committee chose 60, including one with deep roots in this land.
They often perform to a sound of pageantry centuries old. They are the first Native American Women Warrior color guard: all veterans, all proud of their ancestry and the nation they serve.
Mitchelene BigMan is the group’s founder. Sgt. Big Man served 22 years in the Army, including two tours in Iraq.
“We’re like the heartbeat of America,” BigMan said. “We’re Native Americans. We’re still here, and I think we’re even stronger now than we were before.”
Nearly 5,000 Native American women have served in the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. BigMan’s grandmother served in WWII.