Lawton American Legion is Dedicated to Comanche Pilot

On Wednesday, May 21, the American Legion Post in Lawton, Oklahoma, was dedicated to Lt. Col. Meech Tahsequah.

Comanche Indian Veterans Association (CIVA) Commander Roger Tehauno said it was an important day.

“That's the first American Legion that's ever been named after a Comanche veteran,” he said. “And it's kind of like an important event for us, you know. I mean, that's quite an honor for someone that serves in the military. And the bad thing about it is, you know, he was lost in action. He was a pilot, and their plane didn't make it back. It ran out of gas. It ran out of fuel, you might say, in the air. And he didn't make it back, but we hate to see things like that, you know. But war is war.”

Tehauno said it was an honor for Tahsequah, his family and the tribe.

“When I was younger, we used to hear about, you know, the World War II veterans coming home,” he said. “My father raised us in a real strict manner, military style. And that's when we were introduced to, you know, the military, you might say. And then we found, you know, a lot of his friends were veterans. And I know when I went into the military, I didn't have any problems because he taught us everything. The basic needs that you had to do…and to survive.”

Tehauno said he heard stories of Tahsequah through his father.

“Through him, we heard stories of his friends, Comanche veterans that made it through World War II,” he said. “He's the one that told me about the Comanche code talkers. Nobody knew about them because they were so top secret. But he said he heard them talking on the radio one time. And, you know, he could speak Comanche himself. And he'd get on the radio and talk back with the guys that were talking, you know. But they didn't use the code, but, you know, they talked to each other.”

Tehauno said he looked up to other soldiers, including Tahsequah.

“What he did, it was kind of, there were some Comanche pilots that I heard about, but, you know, him doing what he did and the battles that they were in, it's just awesome,” he said. “You know, it's just amazing to me.”

Tehauno was glad Comanche Nation Chairman Forrest Tahdooahnippah and Tribal Administrator Lisa Dawsey were in attendance.

CIVA Princess Clara Yazzie was also at the dedication.