In front of the Veterans Affairs office at the Muscogee (Creek) Tribal Complex is a war memorial to tribal veterans. One of three sculptures is this bronze statue of Lt. Childers in uniform, atop a granite base. The inscription reads:
"Ernest Childers February 1, 1918 - March 17, 2005
Chilocco Indian School Graduate
Lieutenant Colonel U. S. Army, Retired
Medal of Honor, World War II
Ernest Childers earned the Medal of Honor, the United States of America's highest military honor, when he was a 2nd Lt. in the U. S. Army's 45th Infantry Division at Oliveto, Italy on September 22m 1943."
Following this is a quotation from Lt. Col. Childers,
"The American Indian has only one country to defend, and when you're picked on, the American Indian never turns his back. Ernest Childers, Creek Indian"
This sculpture was created by Sandra Van Zandt http://sandravanzandt.com/index.htm
[From Wikipedia]
Childers was born in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, on February 1, 1918. A Muscogee or Creek Indian, he graduated from the Chilocco Indian Agricultural School in north-central Oklahoma.
In 1937, Childers joined the Oklahoma Army National Guard and was assigned to the 45th Infantry Division. After the U.S. entry into World War II, he was sent to Europe and by September 22, 1943, he was a second lieutenant serving with 45th Infantry Division in Italy. On that day, at Oliveto, he single-handedly killed two enemy snipers, attacked two machine gun nests, and captured an artillery observer. For these actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor seven months later, on April 8, 1944. He was the first Native American to earn the medal since the Indian Wars of the 1800s.
Childers reached the rank of lieutenant colonel before retiring from the Army. He died at age 87 and was buried at Floral Haven Memorial Gardens in his birth place of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.
Childers' official Medal of Honor citation reads:
"For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty in action on 22 September 1943, at Oliveto, Italy. Although 2d Lt. Childers previously had just suffered a fractured instep he, with 8 enlisted men, advanced up a hill toward enemy machinegun nests. The group advanced to a rock wall overlooking a cornfield and 2d Lt. Childers ordered a base of fire laid across the field so that he could advance. When he was fired upon by 2 enemy snipers from a nearby house he killed both of them. He moved behind the machinegun nests and killed all occupants of the nearer one. He continued toward the second one and threw rocks into it. When the 2 occupants of the nest raised up, he shot 1. The other was killed by 1 of the 8 enlisted men. 2d Lt. Childers continued his advance toward a house farther up the hill and, single-handed, captured an enemy mortar observer. The exceptional leadership, initiative, calmness under fire and conspicuous gallantry displayed by 2d Lt. Childers were an inspiration to his men."