Lori Piestewa was the first Native American woman killed in combat while serving in the U.S. military. Her death near the city of Nasriyah during the opening days of the Iraq War in 2003 shook her home state of Arizona and led to the renaming of a freeway and mountain peak.
More than two decades later, the 23-year-old Army specialist, a Hopi from Tuba City, was swept up in a recent executive order striking DEI references throughout the U.S. Department of Defense. Now Piestewa’s mother and son are reacting to President Donald Trump’s decision while reflecting on her enduring memory.
BRANDON PIESTEWA: My name is Brandon Piestewa and I am the son of Lori Piestewa.
PERCY PIESTEWA: My name is Priscilla Piestewa but I go by Percy, and I am Lori’s mother.
BRANDON PIESTEWA: I had certain memories, either the really good times or tragic times, but it’s just the little things that I remember from my mom.
PERCY PIESTEWA: Lori loved life, always smiling. She always had friends, was always helping somebody. She always excelled, but she never wanted recognition for what she did.
BRANDON PIESTEWA: Growing up, I didn’t ask questions. We just had loved ones come and tell us that my mom was an angel and that she’s watching over us. It didn’t really click until a couple years down the line where grandparents were just taking care of us full time.
PERCY PIESTEWA: We were in Flagstaff that day, watching TV when the news came on that the [507th Maintenance Company] had been ambushed. Pretty soon, somebody knocked on the door. Our reservation mentality, I hollered: ‘Come in.’ Because everybody was so connected in Tuba City.
And they knocked again, so I got up and there were these two gentlemen waiting to tell us that she was missing in action. All of a sudden, you’re like, ‘Is this really happening?’ And then they come back and tell you that she’s been killed.
BRANDON PIESTEWA: It really affected me. I dealt with a lot of frustrations. I couldn’t express my emotions, so I’d throw temper tantrums and I felt like a burden to my family.
PERCY PIESTEWA: You just kind of go into a zombie phase, I guess. For a long time afterwards, you just kind of do what you need to do, take care of the kids, do your job. I think the worst thing is not knowing exactly what happened, who did what or why. It’s really terrifying. I think the scariest time in my life.
BRANDON PIESTEWA: I’ve learned that when I become vulnerable about my story, I heal ‘cause I’m not the only one going through it.
PERCY PIESTEWA: Anytime we come in contact with another Gold Star Family, it brings a lot of healing to both parties. If you’ve ever been to one of our memorials, you can just feel how powerful it is in that sacred area to be able to hug somebody and give them the courage to help them go on.
That’s what we do, and we remind them the memorial is not just for Lori, it’s for all those who have put their lives on the line to protect us and to protect the freedoms that we so often take for granted.
BRANDON PIESTEWA: I always used to say, ‘Why do we have to do this?’ But now, going to the memorials is like one of the best times of the year. Sure, it's very hard, very tragic, bringing up that moment again, but I’m surrounded by a group of community members that have been there.
PERCY PIESTEWA: And as a family, we feel that her purpose in life had been to bring people together in peace and unity. I think she’s done that for so many families across the world.
BRANDON PIESTEWA: When I was 4 years old, we were automatically thrown in that spotlight. And we’ve lived things that no other kids should do at that age. We were invited to so many different places throughout the country, and seeing how much my mother made an impact on others was truly amazing.
Knowing that they were there praying for what we’ve been through is just such an honor. Those prayers and those blessings from our ancestors is what kept me going and has helped me try to follow in my mother’s footsteps.
We don’t need it to be on a website, to be plastered everywhere. We just need to know that in our spirit and our soul and our mind and body, we know what they went through, and we need to carry it down to the future generations.
Everyone wants us to be upset or angered.
PERCY PIESTEWA: It’s one or two people that are making these decisions. The rest of the world will always remember them, because it’s history. You can’t undo what’s already been done. So we need to just pray and continue our rituals, our blessings, and keep our communities together, keep our sacredness alive.
As long as we can continue to tell their stories, continue to read the books about them, to keep in our hearts the fact that this is what they did for us, then it doesn’t matter who tries to make it go away.
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