http://www.onenationnews.com/fullstory.asp?newsid=5825

U.S. Board on Geographic Names to honor first female American Indian combat casualty

by Amanda Lee Myers

Phoenix (AP) - The U.S. Board on Geographic Names voted Thursday to

officially change the name of a prominent Phoenix mountain to Piestewa

Peak to honor the first American Indian woman to die in combat while

serving in the U.S. military.

The 11 board members who voted for the name change felt that Army Spc.

Lori Piestewa (py-ES'-tuh-wah) symbolizes everyone who has died in the

line of duty, Lou Yost, the board's executive secretary, said from

Washington, D.C.

He said the two members who voted against the change argued that

Piestewa didn't have a direct association with the mountain and is not

of regional or national prominence.

The craggy desert mountain used to be named Squaw Peak, a controversial

name that many American Indians find offensive and have been trying to

change for years.

The Arizona State Board on Geographic and Historic Names renamed the

mountain soon after Piestewa was killed in Iraq in 2003. But the federal

board requires a five-year wait before it considers changing the name of

geographic feature on maps and other federal publications after the dead

- in part to allow those arguing passionately for or against a name

change to cool down.

Yost said those five years didn't do much to cool down hundreds of

Arizonans.

He said the board received an unprecedented 1,300 calls, e-mails and

letters about the name change, with about two-thirds in favor of

Piestewa Peak.

"The board has a five-year waiting period so everyone's emotions even

out after someone's death, but apparently this is still an emotional

situation out there," he said.

"This is what we call a high-profile case."

Piestewa, a 23-year-old Hispanic-Hopi mother of two from Tuba City on

the Navajo Reservation, died after her convoy took a wrong turn and was

ambushed near Nasiriyah in March 2003. Some of the members of 507th

Maintenance Company, including her best friend Jessica Lynch, were taken

prisoner; others died.

The story of Lynch's capture and dramatic nighttime rescue made her an

instant celebrity. Lynch attends annual ceremonies at Piestewa Peak in

honor of her fallen friend and named her daughter after Piestewa.

The peak is a popular destination for local hikers attracted to its

convenient location in the middle of the city and its challenging trails

to the 2,600-foot summit. Others like to go hiking, horseback riding or

mountain biking on some of the easier trails in the foothills.

The controversy over renaming the mountain led to a nasty fight between

Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano and the Republican-led Legislature.

Napolitano argued that changing the name of the landmark would be an

appropriate tribute to Piestewa while removing the word "squaw."

Although some linguists disagree, critics say "squaw" is derived from

an

Indian word for female genitalia.

Lawmakers argued that Napolitano used Piestewa's death to her political

advantage and that her staff used heavy-handed tactics to rename the peak.

Larry Wayt, the leader of a local hiking group who runs the

board's decision to rename the peak.

"A lot of words are considered offensive now that didn't used to be

considered offensive, and a lot of the words that are considered

offensive are still used, and that really doesn't enter into it as far

as I'm concerned," he said.

Wayt, who served in the Coast Guard for 22 years before retiring in

1977, said the board should have left the name the same, or had it

changed in honor of all veterans.

Napolitano spokeswoman Shilo Mitchell said Piestewa symbolizes all the

men and women who have sacrificed for Arizona, and that the governor was

pleased with the board's decision.

"This was certainly the hoped-for outcome, not just for her, but for

many Arizonans," Mitchell said. "Lori Piestewa bravely served our

country. She sacrificed greatly, and so has her family, and by honoring