Indigenous Veterans Day
Today, on Indigenous Veterans Day, we reflect upon the military contributions and sacrifices that Indigenous peoples have made for Canada. Thank you for your service.
In recognition of this important day, we would like to highlight an Indigenous Canadian soldier, whose service impacted Canadian War History but whose name does not come to mind to most Canadians.
Sergeant Thomas George Prince
Tommy Prince was born in a canvas tent in Petersfield, Manitoba, in October 1915; one of 11 children born to Harry and Elizabeth Prince of the Brokenhead band of Ojibwe. When he was five years old, his family moved to the Brokenhead reserve in Scanterbury and Tommy was a survivor of the residential school system.
Prince learned to be a superb marksman and an excellent tracker on the reserve. His father, a hunter and a trapper, taught him. Prince applied to join the Canadian military several times, but was rejected. Indigenous people faced widespread discrimination which likely impacted his rejection, as the Indian Act which considered Indigenous peoples as Canadians did not occur until 1960. However, he was finally accepted into the military during the Second World War, despite not being formally considered a Canadian.
Prince enlisted in the Canadian Army on June 3, 1940 and was assigned to the 1st Field Park Company of the Royal Canadian Engineers. By 1942, Prince was a sergeant with the Canadian Parachute Battalion. Posted to the 1st Canadian Special Service Battalion, he was among a select group of Canadian soldiers sent to train with an American unit to form a specialized assault team. They became the 1st Special Service Force known to the enemy as the "Devil's Brigade." The name was adopted by Hollywood as the title of a 1968 portrayal of the elite unit. Prince was portrayed as "Chief."
Prince distinguished himself with the 1st SSF in Italy and France, using the skills he hadd learned growing up on the reserve. He displayed his covert abilities in a celebrated action near the front line in Anzio, Italy. In February 1944, he volunteered to run a communication line 1,400 meters out to an abandoned farmhouse that sat just 200 meters from a German artillery position. He set up an observation post in the farmhouse and for three days reported on German movements via a communication wire.
When the wire was severed during shelling, Prince disguised himself as a peasant farmer and pretended to work the land around the farmhouse. He stooped to tie his shoes and fixed the wire while German soldiers watched, oblivious to his true identity. At one point, he shook his fist at the Germans, and then at the Allies, pretending to be disgusted with both. His actions resulted in the destruction of four German tanks that had been firing on Allied troops.
In France in the summer of 1944, Prince endured a grueling trek across rugged mountainous terrain to locate an enemy camp. He travelled 70 kilometers without food or water for 72 hours. He returned to the Allied position and led his brigade to the German encampment, resulting in the capture of more than 1,000 German soldiers.
When the fighting ended in France, Prince was summoned to Buckingham Palace, where King George VI decorated him with the Military Medal (MM) and, on behalf of the American president, the Silver Star. He would also receive the 1939-1945 Star, the Italy Star, the France and Germany Star, the Defense Medal, the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal with Clasp and the War Medal.
Prince was one of 59 Canadians who were awarded the Silver Star during the Second World War, only three of whom also possessed the Military Medal. Tommy Prince was honorably discharged on June 15, 1945 and returned to Canada.
At home, Prince continued to face racism from the Canadian government. As an Indigenous man, he was not allowed to vote in federal elections — despite his wartime service — and was refused the same benefits as other Canadian veterans. Prince had various periods of financial success but ultimately ended up facing unemployment and discrimination, he decided to re-enlist in the military. Prince would go on to serve in Korea and resumed his former rank. His actions would lead to an overnight raid which captured of two enemy machine guns.
Suffering from bad knees, Prince returned to Canada for treatment in 1951. But he went back to Korea for a second tour in 1952. He would be injured again and not released from hospital before the end of the war. During two tours of duty in Korea he won the Korean, Canadian Volunteer Service and United Nations Service medals. After being honorably discharged in 1954 Tommy again showed heroism at home when he saw a man drowning at the Alexander Docks in Winnipeg and leapt in to save him.
Prince spent his last years living in a Salvation Army shelter and died in Winnipeg on November 25, 1977 at the age of 62. More than 500 people attended his funeral, including Manitoba’s lieutenant governor and the consuls from France, Italy and the US.
On Indigenous Veterans Day, we remember all those who have fallen answering the call of duty and acknowledge the Indigenous service members who have had a lasting impact on Canadian history. We honour their sacrifice by carrying on the spirit of service by continuing to care for our communities and our countries. Lest we Forget.