Piestewa Fallen Heroes Memorial Ceremony honors Arizona’s heroes

The Piestewa Fallen Heroes Memorial Ceremony is held at Piestewa Peak on March 23 each year. The group is dedicated to remembering all our Arizona Fallen Heroes. They try to include the traditional Native American ways in the ceremony and teach youth about the sacrifices made and what patriotism is.

Piestewa Peak is named in honor of Army Spc. Lori Ann Piestewa. Piestewa was a 23-year-old Hispanic-Hopi mother of two from Tuba City, Arizona, on the Navajo Nation. She was killed in combat in the Iraq War after her convoy took a wrong turn and was ambushed on March 23, 2003. Piestewa was the first documented American female casualty in the Iraq War as well as the first known Native American woman to die in combat.

Jim Covarrubias, Chairman of the Piestewa Fallen Heroes Memorial, joined “Arizona Horizon” to share more about the memorial and the group’s mission.

“Over the last 22 years, what we have done is create a family, family of Gold Star Mothers, Gold Star Fathers, Gold Star Wives, the Blue Star Families and Silver Star Families,” Covarrubias said.