United States Army Soldier. The circumstances of his interment led to a national Civil Rights case. A Native-American and member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, he served in the United States Army during the Korean War as a Sergeant 1st Class, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, and was killed in action September 6, 1950 during the Battle of Tabu-dong in South Korea. When his wife Evelyn Rice, a Caucasian woman, made funeral arrangements for Sergeant Rice to be buried in Memorial Park in Sioux City, Iowa. When it was noticed by cemetery officials that most of the mourners were Native Americans, the burial was stopped, and Mrs. Rice was ordered to remove her husband’s remains due to the cemetery’s “whites only” policy. The ensuing controversy stemming from the cemetery’s actions became national news, and both the cemetery and the city of Sioux City were heavily criticized for their racist stance on the issue, especially in the light of Sergeant Rice’s sacrifice. President Harry S Truman, who publicly chastised those responsible for the decision, personally intervened and arranged for a burial plot in Arlington National Cemetery, where Sergeant Rice was finally laid to rest. His grave is located between the graves of General of the Armies John J. Pershing and General Walton H. Walker.
United States Army Soldier. The circumstances of his interment led to a national Civil Rights case. A Native-American and member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, he served in the United States Army during the Korean War as a Sergeant 1st Class, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, and was killed in action September 6, 1950 during the Battle of Tabu-dong in South Korea. When his wife Evelyn Rice, a Caucasian woman, made funeral arrangements for Sergeant Rice to be buried in Memorial Park in Sioux City, Iowa. When it was noticed by cemetery officials that most of the mourners were Native Americans, the burial was stopped, and Mrs. Rice was ordered to remove her husband’s remains due to the cemetery’s “whites only” policy. The ensuing controversy stemming from the cemetery’s actions became national news, and both the cemetery and the city of Sioux City were heavily criticized for their racist stance on the issue, especially in the light of Sergeant Rice’s sacrifice. President Harry S Truman, who publicly chastised those responsible for the decision, personally intervened and arranged for a burial plot in Arlington National Cemetery, where Sergeant Rice was finally laid to rest. His grave is located between the graves of General of the Armies John J. Pershing and General Walton H. Walker.
Bio by: Shiver
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