Month: November 2025

With the utmost respect, we thank each our current veterans for their selfless service and to our Country.

Today, November 11th, please take a moment not only to thank the ones you know, but also keep a warm thought in your heart for our many ancestors who have served this country for almost 2+ centuries.

The Brothertown Indian’s record of service began with the American Revolution and continued serving freedom for almost 250 years.  Many of our members have given their lives in service to our country while protecting the freedoms and ideals we hold dear.

Brothertown’s legacy of service to our country has extended not only in peacetime but to virtually every American military conflict, including the American Revolution (19), the War of 1812 (1+), the Civil War (122), WWI (very many), WWII (many more), Korea, Vietnam, the Middle East (Desert Storm, Afghanistan), as well those who served in times of peace.

In memory of our fallen heroes, you are remembered and not forgotten.

Here are a few links to learn more about our veterans:

• View the names of Brothertown ancestors who served in the American Revolution (1775-1783).
• View Brothertown Veterans on float in the 2014 Flag Day Parade in Appleton.
• Indigenous Veterans Day Films from PBS (Honoring Native American military Service men and women):
  • The People’s Protectors
  • The Warrior Tradition

Links for our veteran members to VA services are included here (for the States of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the VA in Washington, DC. The latest Veteran Newsletters can also be found on this page.

Brothertown Veterans attending Homecoming 2014 (photo courtesy of Paul Werth)

Letter from the Brothertown Indian Nation’s Veterans’ Chair Mike Pelky:

We observe Native American Heritage Month in November to recognize the achievements and contributions of Native Americans. We celebrate the remarkable diversity of American Indian peoples while remembering and honoring our veterans who have sacrificed so much to defend our Nation.

It is also a time to educate others with pride, that Indigenous peoples are the holders of unique languages, knowledge systems, and beliefs, and possess invaluable knowledge of practices for the sustainable management of our natural resources.

Additionally, Indigenous and Native communities have shown resilience, perseverance, and strength amid challenges like displacement and cultural suppression. We certainly must celebrate our successes, our heritage, and our culture, as well as who we are as a people.

We should, likewise, take a moment to recall the obstacles we have overcome. Our ancestors’ courage and strength were tested as they faced countless obstacles and overcame unimaginable challenges; they deserve to be honored.

Below is one such fact that was intended to separate us from who we are. Our ancestors’ courage and resilience were tested as they faced countless obstacles and overcame unimaginable challenges. While very costly, we persevered and “we are still here…”