Born in 1966 on the Crow Reservation in Montana, Mitchelene BigMan enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1986 after working as a firefighter and dockworker. She served two tours in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom and received a Combat Action Badge for surviving a mortar attack in 2005. Mrs.BigMan served as an engineer, EEO advisor, and platoon sergeant before retiring as at Sergeant First Class in 2009.
Mitchelene BigMan went on to found the Native American Women Warriors (NAWW) organization, a color guard of female Native American Veterans which brings attention to and honors the contributions of Native American women’s military service. Her advocacy has earned her the Society of American Indian Government Employees award, service on the advisory committee for the Smithsonian National Native American Veterans Memorial, and performances at notable events including President Barack Obama’s second inauguration.
