CHEYENNE
RIVER SIOUX TRIBE
PRESS
RELEASE: 11-17-03
D.
Alice LaClaire
Public Relations Coordinator
Phone: 605-964-8308
The
Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe suffers a great loss
among their people. PFC Sheldon Hawk Eagle of the
101st Airborne Division, Ft. Campbell, KY was among
the sixteen soldiers who were killed on Friday,
November 14, 2003, in a tragic crash between two
U.S. helicopters in Northern Iraq, in a residential
neighborhood of Mosul, Iraq’s third largest
city.
The tragic crash claimed the life of 21 year old
PFC Sheldon Hawk Eagle, an enrolled member of the
Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, who was born on August
17, 1982 to Bernice Strikes Enemy and Allen Hawk
Eagle who are both deceased.
PFC
Sheldon Hawk Eagle graduated from the Cheyenne Eagle
Butte High School, in Eagle Butte, South Dakota
in May of 2001. Sheldon enlisted in the U.S. Army
on July 15, 2002, graduated Basic Training &
AIT from Ft. Sill, Oklahoma on November 6, 2002,
became Air Assault qualified on February 6, 2003
and was in the MOS-13 Bravo Airborne Division “Air
Assault” 1 Charlie Battery 1st 320th Field
Artillery. He was deployed to Iraq in March, 2003.
Cheyenne
River Sioux Tribal Chairman, Harold Frazier, gave
a statement on behalf of Sheldon’s family
during the 1st General Session of the National Congress
of American Indians (NCAI) in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Chairman
Harold Frazier’s statement began with, it
has been said, “the greatest gift one can
give, is to give your life for your country and
countrymen and PFC Sheldon Hawk Eagle made the Supreme
Sacrifice” and concluded his statement with,
“let us continue to pray for our soldiers
that are still fighting in Iraq for their health
and safe return to their families and homes.
The
Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe announced that the
Tribe will honor Sheldon by declaring a Day
of Mourning. Chairman Harold Frazier stated
that, “It is
a great tragedy to lose one of our Tribal Members
and on behalf of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe,
we express our deepest condolences and sympathy
to the family and relatives of PFC Sheldon Hawk
Eagle.
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