A gentle snow swept across Arizona's Painted Desert April 5, The same day the Pentagon announced
The death of Pfc. Lori Piestewa.
The soldier, a mother of two
Believed to be the first American Indian woman
Ever killed in combat,
Was the pride of the Hopi Indians
Living in Tuba City, Arizona.
In this tightknit town of 9,000, the unseasonable flurry
Signified Piestewa's spiritual journey home.
"In the Hopi belief, when one is deceased,
They come back home.
They visit the family,
Their community through the moisture,
" Hopi Tribal Chairman Wayne Taylor
Told reporters after the snowfall.
"And this is what happened just a while ago.
So I think we were blessed today."
Piestewa went down fighting in the March 23
Ambush of the 507th Army Maintenance Unit near Nasiriya,
Said Rep. Rick Renzi, R-Arizona, whose district includes Tuba City.
Renzi said he spoke to two generals
And a colonel who told him
Piestewa was driving the truck that was transporting
Pfc. Jessica Lynch and other soldiers.
When the Iraqi soldiers attacked her convoy,
Piestewa and the master sergeant
Riding next to her tried to hold the attackers back, Renzi said.
"She fought. She drew her weapon and fought," he said.
"It was her last stand.
She fought and died valiantly with courage and honor."
Nine soldiers, including Piestewa,
Died in the battle and Lynch was taken prisoner.
When Lynch, Piestewa's friend and roommate at Fort Bliss,
Was rescued from a Nasiriya hospital April 1,
Piestewa's body was among those found nearby by U.S. troops.
Following in the tradition of her father,
A Vietnam veteran, and her grandfather,
A World War II veteran,
Piestewa was commander of her high school ROTC corps.
But her marriage her senior year in high school
And the births of her two children prompted Piestewa
To put her military plans on hold.
Only months after her divorce,
she reconsidered her military option
And on March 30, 2001,
She reported to basic training at Fort Sill.
Her determination shone through in a local television interview
Before being sent to Iraq:
"I am ready to go," she said,
Looking straight at the camera.
"I learned to work with people.
It's very important to me to know that my family
Is going to be taken care of."
Thanks to donations from the public,
A scholarship fund has been set up for Piestewa's children.
First lady Laura Bush visited the young woman's family.
And two Phoenix landmarks,
Squaw Peak and Squaw Peak Freeway have been renamed
Piestewa Peak and Piestewa Freeway --
A decision hailed by American Indian groups
Who consider the word "squaw" offensive.
The "Lady Warrior," as her family referred to her,
Was buried April 12 in the Hopi Reservation,
Her brother, Wayland Piestewa, told reporters.
"She is our hero," he said.
"We are going to continue to believe that.
We're going to hold that in our hearts forever.
She will not be forgotten."
