"The recent use of the name of Chiricahua Apache leader Geronimo in the mission that killed terrorist Osama bin Laden has raised eyebrows and controversy. Critics complain that naming Osama bin Laden was inappropriate, because it made the Indian leader synonymic with a hated enemy of the United States. As the headline for a story by journalist Mary Papenfuss pointed out: “Osama was no Geronimo. One was a terrorist; the other was a fearless protector of tribal lands.” Some defenders of the code name claim its use was an honor—a term of respect for the Apache hero’s expertise, strength and determination as a warrior.

Jeff Houser, however, reminds us that there are more important aspects to this controversy than the debate over the propriety of co-opting Geronimo’s name. As the chairman of the Fort Sill Apache Tribe, Houser is far more concerned about Geronimo’s legendary struggle for Apache rights than his reputation. “The government viewed Apaches as enemies, but the U.S. also had a trust responsibility to look after the tribe’s interests, yet they made them prisoners of war, withholding their freedom for 28 years,” he says. “The government made many promises to the Apache people which they failed to keep. I am more concerned about them honoring those agreements than honoring the man.”

Cherokee actor Wes Studi, who portrayed the Apache leader in the 1993 film, Geronimo: An American Legend, says he had preconceived notions about Geronimo before he took on the role. “I saw him as a great warrior who fought valiantly for his people against all odds, but as time went on I got a clearer picture of him through his relatives. I began to realize that much of what I knew of him was myth. He was a complicated person; a real person with real strengths and real weaknesses.”"

Get the Story:
Patti Jo King: Inconvenient Truths and Self-Serving Myths About Geronimo (Indian Country Today 6/27)