, Indigenous peoples have served in the United States military since the American Revolution., Chief Turkey Tayac (1895-1978) , Also known as Philip Proctor, Turkey Tayac was Piscataway, a tribe native to Maryland. He was one of over 12,000 Indigenous men who served in the military during World War I. Following his tour in France, Turkey returned to the United States with a mission to raise awareness about his people and their culture. This was a time when Native Americans faced immense racism and discrimination, challenges still confronting them today. Despite persistent inequities, Indigenous people serve in the armed forces at a rate five times the national average., Women Warriors , Today, 20 percent of all Indigenous service members are female. Throughout the 20th century, women took on many military roles, from volunteering as Nurses during World War I to fighting on the front lines in Afghanistan. Indigenous women veterans in Maryland include Piscataway Conoy tribal members Lisa A. Savoy (far left), and Operations Specialist with the U.S. Air Force (1984-1989), and Dawn Savy-Dyette (left), a Combat Telecommunication Center Op in the U.S. Army (1983-1990). Ms. Savoy completed tours in Mississippi, San Vito, Italy, and Fort Meade, Maryland. Ms. Savoy-Dyette was stationed in Germany, Panama, New York, and Alabama., [Captions:] , Chief Turkey Tayac (Piscataway) during a veterans conference, 1946, Members of the Tayac Territory Singers and Dancers during National Indian Heritage Month celebrations, Walter Reed Hospital, Bethesda, MD, 2013,