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SUBJ/DEPARTMENT OF NAVY 2023 NATIONAL NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH// 
 
RMKS/1.  This November, the Department of the Navy (DON) joins the Nation 
in celebrating National Native American Heritage Month.  This month 
provides us an opportunity to pay tribute to the rich ancestry and 
heritage of Native Americans and Alaskan Natives and recognize their 
immeasurable contributions to our great Nation. 
 
2.  Native Americans have a long record of service to the United States; 
one which started long before they were granted citizenship or the right 
to vote.  In 1970, in an effort to reduce racism and sexism in the Navy 
and Marine Corps, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Elmo Zumwalt issued Z- 
gram #66, a naval message requiring every base, station, and aircraft 
squadron commander, and ship Commanding Officer to appoint an officer as a 
special assistant for minority affairs.  This change in climate and 
culture paved the way for many Native Americans to rise to excel in the 
DON and provided opportunities for all minorities and women to achieve 
their full potential.  Notable examples include Rear Admiral Michael L. 
Holmes and Commander John Bennet Herrington.  Rear Admiral Holmes, a 
member of the Lumbee Tribe in North Carolina, served 32 years as a naval 
aviator.  Most notably, he served as Commanding Officer, Patrol Squadron 
Thirty, the largest aviation squadron in the U.S. Navy, and as Commander, 
Patrol and Reconnaissance Group.  Admiral Holmes was awarded two Navy 
Commendation Medals, three Meritorious Service Medals, and three Legion of 
Merit medals.  Commander Herrington, an enrolled member of the Chickasaw 
Nation, was selected as an astronaut in 1996 and, 2 years later, as a 
member of National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Astronaut 
Support Personnel Team.  In 2002, he logged 330 hours as the first Native 
American in space when he traveled as part of Space Shuttle Endeavour's 
STS-113 mission. 
 
3.  Today, over 12,000 Native American and Alaskan Native Sailors, 
Marines, and civilians serve in the DON's total force.  Let us celebrate 
the contributions and current service of these great Americans and commit 
ourselves to building a stronger and more inclusive workforce.  For more 
information on National Native American Heritage Month, I encourage you to 
visit https://www.nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov. 
 
4.  Released by the Honorable Carlos Del Toro Secretary of the Navy.// 
 
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