Dr.
Joe Medicine Crow is the former Crow Tribal Historian and the oldest living man
of the Crow tribe. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom (the U.S.A.'s highest civilian honor) from President Barack Obama on August 12, 2009 at a ceremony at the White House. In 1939, he was the first member of the Crow tribe to obtain
a master’s degree. His Master’s thesis, “The Effects of European Culture Contact
upon the Economic, Social, and Religious Life of the Crow Indians”, remains the
most widely read source on Crow culture. Medicine Crow is the last traditional Plains
war chief, having achieved the war deeds necessary to be declared a “chief” during
World War II. He served in Europe, and earned the Bronze Star. Medicine Crow was
also honored for his service to France during World War II when he received the
National Order of the Legion of Honor from the French government on June 25, 2008.
He was recognized for leading a war party that, under fire, retrieved dynamite to
use to attack German guns. He also overcame a German soldier in hand-to-hand combat
on a street in France (sparing his life), and captured fifty SS horses at a farm
where German officers were staying. Joe Medicine Crow has also been nominated for
the Congressional Gold Medal. Interviews with Dr. Medicince Crow were included in
the 2007 Ken Burns PBS series “The War.” In those interviews, he describes some
of his World War II experiences.
For his war deeds and “contributions to the preservation of the culture and history
of the First Americans” and his “importance as a role model to young Native Americans
across the country,” and other services to America, Joe Medicine Crow received the
Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor, on August 12, 2009.
Dr. Medicine Crow is a guest speaker at Little Bighorn College, the Custer Battlefield
Museum, and several other colleges throughout the nation. Also an author, his books
include, A Handbook of Crow Indian Laws and Treaties, and From the Heart of
the Crow Country. He lives on the Crow Reservation in Lodge Grass, Montana.
Dr. Medicine Crow's contributions to World Wisdom books include:
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