Announcer: Welcome to the How World War I Changed America podcast series, sponsored by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation with host Dr. Libby O'Connell.
Libby O'Connell: My name is Libby O'Connell. Today our topic is Native Americans in World War I and our guest expert is Dr. Herman J Viola. He's a curator emeritus at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, and author of such a long list of books that I can't even begin to to give just one title. So we're just thrilled and honored to have you with us today, Herman. Thank you for joining us.
Herman Viola: Well thank you for inviting me.
Libby O'Connell: So we're going to talk a little bit about Native Americans in World War I and you know, although not required to serve, Native Americans volunteered in large numbers when the United States declared war in 1917. Why did they volunteer in such large numbers? They weren't even citizens.
