Photo By 2nd Lt. Logan Wolff | 1st Battalion, 14th Field Artillery Regiment Commander, Lt. Col. Emiliano Tellado,...... read more read more
Subscribe
FORT SILL, Okla. — September 22, 2022, started out like many other fall days on Fort Sill – clear skies above and the sounds of field artillery units conducting live fires across post. The major difference, however, was the blessing of the Soldiers and equipment of 1st Battalion, 14 Field Artillery Regiment (FAR) “Steel Warriors” by members of the Kiowa Blackleggings. This ceremony was conducted ahead of 1-14 FAR’s deployment in support of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Allies.
“The Kiowa Blackleggings is a warrior organization created in the 1800s, was inactive for a period of time, then reactivated in 1958,” said Blas Preciado, Vice-Commander of the Kiowa Blackleggings, a former Marine and Vietnam veteran.
The ceremony was conducted to bless both the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and the Steel Warriors Soldiers. The blessing serves many purposes – it primarily, ensures the equipment of the battalion protects the Soldiers during the deployment.
“[Native American] communities are all spiritual, [and] they are here for us to offer a blessing of good-will for our veterans,” Preciado said, “and that’s what we did here today.”
The blessing ceremony also serves as a resolute link between the Kiowa Blackleggings and the Steel Warriors community. The bond between the battalion and the Kiowa Blackleggings Warrior Society goes back decades. Over the years, the Steel Warriors adopted Kiowa Warchief Set’tainte.
Preciado said, “[The Kiowa Blackleggings Warrior Society] were invited out here by Betty Washburn, [who has been] long associated with 1-14 Field Artillery.”
Betty Washburn, great-great granddaughter of Set’tainte (also known as White Bear), invited other members of the Kiowa Blackleggings to the blessing ceremony due to the close and continuing relationship between the battalion and Set’tainte’s descendants.
After remarks from the chaplain and Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Emiliano Tellado, Daniel Cozad blessed the Soldiers and families at the ceremony. After initiating a cedar blessing, using cedar wood from Longhorn Mountain, a Sacred Kiowa Spiritual Site, Cozad blessed the battery command teams and the battalion command team of 1-14 FAR. This was done to ward off evil spirits and ensure the safe return of the members of the battalion.
“The last time we came out here for the blessing of this unit was two years ago,” Cozad said. “We pray for success for the mission and for everyone to come home safely. We are so proud of you, and we wish you the best of luck.”
The Steel Warriors battalion has a proud and distinguished history. 1-14 FAR fought in Sicily and Normandy in WWII, the Tet Counteroffensive in the Vietnam War, and more recently deployed to Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Jordan, and provided rocket and missile fires to suppress and destroy ISIS in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.
| Date Taken: | 10.13.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 10.13.2022 17:09 |
| Story ID: | 431261 |
| Location: | FORT SILL, OKLAHOMA, US |
| Web Views: | 70 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Kiowa Blackleggings conduct blessing ceremony ahead of Steel Warrior deployment, by 2LT Logan Wolff, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
