Veteran’s Day: A conversation with Moses Starr, Korean conflict

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Moses Starr takes down a family portrait of his mother’s side of the family and talks about each one. DANA ATTOCKNIE / NATIVE AMERICAN TIMES PHOTO

WEATHERFORD, Okla.  – It’s difficult for him to remember the people he left behind.

“That day I know we lost 17, because we had to pull their dog tags,” Moses Starr Jr., 79, said.  His words freeze in mid-sentence as he looks down to pause and grasp his composure. “Sometimes it bothers me to, to know we left them there. We couldn’t bring them back. We left them. The only thing we had was their dog tags … We couldn’t carry them, there wasn’t that many of us.”

Starr, Cheyenne and Arapaho, revisited his time in the Army as he shared the tragedies, triumphs and treasured moments of his life. He reminisces about his time in the Army during the Korean War, his time as a paratrooper, and his time as a Ranger.  He enlisted in 1950 and was a member of the 82nd Airborne. He went through training in Fort Riley, Kan., Fort Benning, Ga., Camp Carson (now Fort Carson) in Colorado Springs, Colo., Presidio in California, and Fort Lewis, Wash.

“I was really proud I was in the Airborne, because that’s what I wanted to be. I was really proud to be a Ranger because that’s what I wanted to be,” Starr said. “During the time I spent in the service, I accomplished what I wanted to do. I did the things I wanted to do.”

Starr said he and “a lot of us Indian boys” saw a poster seeking people to volunteer for the Rangers, but a high school diploma or equivalent was required and he didn’t have one. He applied anyway. Two weeks later he found out he was chosen and ended up serving with a group of sergeants, captains and lieutenants who fought in World War II.

“You train and you know exactly what you’re supposed to do, (but) you still kind of have that scared feeling. No telling what’s really going to happen … what is it all about? Nobody has ever shot at you, and I think it was a feeling of wanting to find out,” Starr, who was 18 during this time in his life, said. “We knew what we had to do. My feeling, I think, was kind of scared because I didn’t really know what it was. It was all those guys in the Second World War and you being in there, it helps because you counted on them …”

He also went to Cuba with the 82nd Airborne when Fidel Castro took over. They were sent to guard the civilians to safety, he said.  In a short period of time Starr went from the rank of private, to private first class to corporal.  After the Rangers were disbanded he ended up with the 187th regimental company. He was 22 when he got out of the Army, and said he learned responsibility. The Army lifestyle, he said, wasn’t really bad because he already got up early and knew how to do his laundry.  He was familiar with that lifestyle from attending Concho Indian Boarding School.

“I don’t believe I finished 11th grade. I went into the service,” Starr said. “I got acquainted with a lot of the people, a lot of the kids, the years I was there, and I got to learn how to work.”

Starr stayed at school during Christmas and summer break to work. He said the state government paid them.

“I think every two weeks we got $36. That was good money then. They took care of us, they fed us, they gave us a place to stay and … you only went to school three hours a day in the classroom. The other half was done on the farm and it was counted as agriculture. We did all the work that was possible. We milked the cows and fed the hogs, fed the chickens and … we did all that as students.”

When Starr first went to school in Concho he said he already had classes like general math, general science and English, but they were just starting those classes there. He grew up going back and forth to Kingfisher, Clinton and Oklahoma City.

Starr was born Jan. 17, 1917 in Concho, Okla. to Moses Starr Sr. and Helen Heap of Birds Starr. His paternal grandparents are Harry Starr and Daisy. His maternal grandparents are Alfred Heap of Birds and Soar Woman - her “office name” was Grace. His great grandfather’s name was Big Moccasin. He had three sisters and two brothers; all of whom have passed on. He has seven kids, and two are still alive. His first wife was Nellie Old Crow and his second wife was Anita Little Raven; both have passed away.

“He’s very strong and he’s a very integral part of everyone’s lives … his grandkids, nieces, nephews; it’s a strong thing that we have with him,” Norene Starr, niece, said. “I think all of us try real hard to be a part of his life and he’s in every one of our lives.”

Starr was raised near his paternal grandparents in Kingfisher. His parents moved there after they were married.

“I can think back and see my grandfather and he was bald headed; he had gray hair on his side ... I can remember riding a horse with him to town.  I can remember driving cattle to be milked in the evening. Of course they farmed,” Starr said. “They raised cotton and they raised cattle for their own use and also for milking. Of course they worked the field in that cotton. I can remember them doing that and I wasn’t very old. I remember chasing the cows. I could go with him and do the things he wanted me to do and it was fun.”

His grandmother Soar Woman helped raise him until she passed away. While staying with his mother’s side of the family he learned a lot of the Cheyenne language, he said.

“That’s all she spoke was Cheyenne, and in order to understand and know what she wanted, well you had to learn, and if you wanted to speak to her,” Starr said. “Well, I think she could understand English, but she wouldn’t speak it, and if I spoke Cheyenne and English, they would always say you speak one way or the other. You either speak English or you speak Cheyenne … you don’t mix them. But I’ve had a lot of uncles, a lot of aunts, they all spoke Cheyenne.”

He said all the songs, church work and Indian hymns he knows, all come from family. Although his maternal grandfather passed away before Starr was born, he knows the songs he made.

A family portrait of his mother’s side of the family is showcased on the living room wall of Starr’s home. In seconds, he lifts the black-and-white picture off the wall and begins naming and talking about each person in the photo. His enthusiasm and admiration for his family is shared by other family members too.

“All the time, he’s going somewhere … I got to go Canton, I got to go Watonga, and I got to go to El Reno. He’s always going somewhere,” Ron Kauley, nephew, said. “So these are respectable qualities that each and every one of us should be carrying.”

Kauley refers to his uncle’s responsibilities as an Arapaho Chief, renewal of Sacred Arrows and Sun Dance camp crier, and keeper of ceremonial items. When his people need him to pray, sing, talk or help them, Starr goes without question.

“That part is really important because you make that vow with the Almighty,” Starr said. “You can’t say no. They told me ‘the word no is out of your vocabulary’ … it’s important to them (people), and also they depend on you because they know that you’re supposed to do that.”

Starr’s Cheyenne name is Whistling Elk. His name was Eagle Feather, but it was changed when he returned from overseas with the Army. Eagle Feather was an uncle’s name, who served in World War II and earned the bronze star.

Kauley said it’s good to pay homage to elders while they’re still alive so they know how people feel about them.

“You honor them and you show them your respect now while they’re still here, because when they’re gone, it’s too late. You can’t do it then,” Kauley said.

Starr, who’s diabetic, had part of his lung taken out last November because it had cancer. In February his kidney came out because of cancer, before that it was his bladder because of a tumor.

“So that’s three times that they operated on me for cancer … I know I don’t have no appendix, they took that out, and I know I don’t have no gall bladder because they took that out, and I don’t know what else,” Starr said, keeping his positive humor in check. “They took my tonsils out.”

Starr initially worked any type of job to support his family after his time in the Army. He picked cotton, bailed hay, worked in a meat packing plant, cleaned apartments, and worked at various construction jobs. “I still had not gotten an education and that’s the reason I had to do all that,” he said.

Eventually he began working for the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Law Enforcement’s Indian offender’s rehabilitation program. He also worked at St. Gregory’s in Shawnee as a counselor and for the Native American Center. He also served as a tribal council representative for the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma twice - once as a Clinton area representative and once as an El Reno area representative. He said he was there when the tribes first became involved with gaming.

One of his career highlights was working for Putnam City School District in Oklahoma City as the Indian Studies Coordinator. For approximately 13 years he taught American Indian students how to dance and sing, and about Indian culture, history and traditions. He formed a dance troupe that was invited to perform throughout Oklahoma. He also earned his GED during this time.

After leaving Putnam City Schools he carried on the same type of teachings at different schools for the Oklahoma Historical Society. All the while, Starr received invitations to share his Native culture and heritage with people around the world. He’s been to Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Italy – all more than once. He said he accomplished this by studying and by listening to people.

“Education is just really important. If you don’t have it, you don’t have anything,” Starr said.

Starr said it made him feel good to watch his students get an education and end up with responsible jobs.

“In order to survive and in order to make it you have to get an education,” Starr said. “That’s what really gets me; it’s like, if I would have got an education, I’d been dangerous.”