Lawton_In the history of the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame there have been no Native Americans on the list - until now. Master Gunnery Sergeant Vernon Tsoodle joins the elite list of honorees. 7News' own Neely Tsoodle talked with her uncle in a very special interview. The entire family is proud of Vernon's many accomplishments, both in his personal and military life. But no accomplishment is as special to Vernon as this award.
This honor recognizes his years fighting for his country while representing Oklahoma - "The Land of the Red Man" - and Native America. Vernon spent almost 25 years in the military as a Marine and remembers every conflict, situation, victory or defeat as if it happened yesterday.
He's seen his share of history. Like the Korean Conflict in November of 1950. His unit was outnumbered almost eight to one by Chinese forces and the Marines needed him to fight. They pulled him from his communications job and handed him a machine gun - he hadn't shot a weapon like that for years, but he did it, and he did it well. "A lot of Chinese came out with Purple Hearts," he joked.
It was a bloody battle with a lot of US casualties - the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir. It was cold with temperatures at 40 below and despite this, Vernon and his fellow Marines succeeded. If you see his wall full of medals you get a small idea of all that he has accomplished.
Read the full article here: http://www.kswo.com/Global/story.asp?S=7327643. There's a video too.
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