Simon Webster Jr.

Who was Simon Webster Jr?

Simon Webster Jr. was born in Oneida, WI in 1897. At the age of 21, he was drafted by the United States Army and was deployed overseas to fight in the Great War. After being injured in his right leg whilst battling in France, he spent 23 days in a hospital. After he recovered, he stayed fighting in France until the end of the war.1 Simon Webster Jr. offers a unique research opportunity into the life of a American Indian soldier. American Indian service in the United States military is a vastly under-researched topic, resulting in an underrepresented group of heroes. At a time when American Indians did not have citizenship2, it is worth researching why some chose to serve and how Simon’s experience in the war can make way for further research and interpretation into the topic. World War I proved to be an important turning point for American Indian rights and public perception. Most notably, their patriotism and bravery helped them to gain citizenship for all American Indians a few years later, in 1924.3

What can we learn from Simon Webster Jr?

Many American Indians joined or were drafted into the United States Army during World War I despite not being recognized as American citizens. Those who did choose to serve were celebrated by the American government as a demonstration of patriotism and “evidence that its assimilation programs had been a success.”4 Both Simon Webster Jr. and his brother Peterson would have been in the group of those celebrated for serving. Simon was drafted and did not resist his conscription and Peterson volunteered. It is possible that Peterson’s decision to join the military was influenced by the draft after Simon was drafted. Despite American efforts to support American Indian soldiers and encourage them to join the military, many resisted conscription. Sammie Bear, a Creek from Oklahoma, chose not to register for the draft because the treaties agreed on between his Nation and the United States promised peace.5 The government disregarded his sentiment and claimed his decision was a result of him being “mentally unbalanced.”6 This sentiment was disregarded to thwart other First Nations people from thinking the same way and encourage enlistment in the military. The government would have wanted to show no evidence that assimilation was not entirely effective. 

American Indian servicemen widely held the same positions that other American soldiers did. Some never left the United States and stayed at training camps, while a large majority were sent overseas to fight.7 Simon Webster Jr. himself was sent to France and fought there until the Armistice in 1918.8 It was not uncommon for American Indian soldiers to be on the front lines fighting intensely. Rather, it was largely seen among the American Indian population as a noble and heroic thing to be doing; that is, fighting for their country and freedom alongside other American soldiers. It was this heroism that first started to change the perception of First Nations people in the eyes of other Americans. Many soldiers were quoted saying, “The Indian was always the equal of the white man, sometimes his superior”.9 This is a nice sentiment, but to American Indian soldiers it was not just about proving that they were equal to the white man. To them, the United States was already their country, despite not having proper citizenship, and fighting for the country was just as much their duty as was it any other American man. American Indian soldiers also brought special skills to the table that gave them an upper hand in battle. “The negative stereotypes of Indian savagery had become virtues”.10 This quote stems from American soldier’s shock at how skilled in fighting American Indians were. They were extremely skilled in the art of camouflage, and their techniques have even influenced modern day military camouflage as well. Alongside that they also implemented surprise attacks in combat.11 Unfortunately, we do not know what exact role Simon had in the war. We do know that he saw battle in France though, so it is not such a far reach to presume that he and the rest of his division employed these techniques at some point.12

Arguably one of the most beneficial skills that First Nation servicemen brought to the table was native language code talking. This was something that only American Indians could do, and its effectiveness in World War I positively changed the perception of not just the people who performed the duty, but also for the entire First Nations population. This specific type of code talking was foolproof because important plans could be transmitted back and forth between divisions in specific native languages, the first being in Lakota, without fear of the code being broken by the enemy. The long lasting effect of the use of this skill can be seen with it being implemented in World War II, and with the servicemen who performed this duty being posthumously awarded for their service.

Conclusion

American Indian service in the United States military during World War I was an important step in the push towards equality and coexistence between the people of the First Nations and the white man. Fighting side by side, the white men began to see as equals and fellow Americans. This would eventually lead to American Indians gaining citizenship in the United States. The various viewpoints of American Indians demonstrate the complexity of the relationship between the First Nations and the American government. Some, like Simon and Peterson Webster, chose to fight alongside the military that had fought the First Nations for decades and others decided against doing so. The valuable skills brought to the war effort by the brave soldiers from the First Nations were respected at the time and earned the American Indian soldiers the respect and admiration of their fellow soldiers. Unfortunately, their bravery is often forgotten in history. The lives of the brave individuals such as Simon Webster Jr. are tragically lost in the past. It is important to remember and study the experiences of those who are not in the majority to gain a greater understanding of history. 

  1. Simon Webster Jr., Roster of Men in Service, Box 2, Folder 7, 0060. University of Wisconsin – Green Bay Archives.
  2. Russel Lawrence Barsh, “American Indians in the Great War,” Ethnohistory 38, no. 3 (1991): 277.
  3. “Native American Citizenship: 1924 Indian Citizenship Act,” nps.gov, accessed December 6, 2019, https://www.nps.gov/jame/learn/historyculture/upload/Native-American-Citizenship-2.pdf.
  4. Erik Zissu, “Conscription, sovereignty, and land: American Indian resistance during World War I.” Pacific Historical Review 64, no. 4 (1995): 539.
  5. Ibid, 538.
  6. Ibid, 538.
  7. Russel Lawrence Barsh, “American Indians in the Great War,” Ethnohistory 38, no. 3 (1991): 283.
  8. Simon Webster Jr., Roster of Men in Service. Box 2, Folder 7, 0060. University of Wisconsin – Green Bay Archives.
  9. Dennis Neumann, “UTTC Honors WWI Native Servicemen,” Journal of American Indian Higher Education 29, no. 2 (2017): 13.
  10. Russel Lawrence Barsh, “American Indians in the Great War,” Ethnohistory 38, no. 3 (1991): 290.
  11. Ibid, p.290.
  12. Dennis Neumann, “UTTC Honors WWI Native Servicemen,” Journal of American Indian Higher Education 29, no. 2 (2017): 13.