Aboriginal Veterans Day - November 8 | City of New Westminster

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Aboriginal Veterans Day - November 8

November 8, 2025, will mark the 31st annual Aboriginal Veterans Day.

Indigenous people have served in the military for 200 years and were known to be excellent scouts and marksmen. They have also been widely recognized as “code talkers,” translating sensitive intel into Cree to avoid interception by opposing forces.

Despite this service, Indigenous veterans were historically not offered the same support and resources that were provided to non-Indigenous veterans, and were further stripped of their Indian status and all rights that went along with that, including band membership. Further compounding this discrimination, Indigenous veterans and their families were not permitted to lay wreaths or have their own formed guards on Remembrance Day. Aboriginal Veterans Day was a response to this exclusionary action; beginning in Manitoba in 1994, it was as an opportunity for Indigenous veterans, and their families and communities, to mourn and remember as they wished.

Although these discriminatory policies towards Indigenous veterans have been reversed or amended in recent decades, Aboriginal Veterans Day continued and is now observed nationwide in acknowledgement of the long-fought battle for recognition of Indigenous veterans’ very important contributions to the Canadian military.

A story of Courage, Service, and Injustice

To illustrate both the extraordinary contributions of Indigenous veterans and the discrimination many faced upon returning home, we highlight the story of Sergeant Tommy Prince (right) — one of Canada’s most-decorated Indigenous soldiers.

Born in 1915 in Manitoba’s Brokenhead Ojibway Nation, Prince was one of 11 children and a descendant of Chiefs Peguis and William Prince, both respected leaders in Ojibway history. He survived the residential school system and grew up learning the skills that would later make him an exceptional soldier — precision, tracking, and perseverance.

Prince enlisted in the Canadian Army in 1940 after being rejected several times, likely due to discrimination. He began his wartime service as a sapper with the Royal Canadian Engineers. After only a couple years, he became a paratrooper and reconnaissance specialist with the First Special Service Force, a joint Canadian–American commando unit later known as the Devil’s Brigade.

In Italy, Prince’s bravery became legendary. On February 8, 1944, near Anzio, he volunteered to run a communication line 1,400 metres across open territory to an abandoned farmhouse just 200 metres from a German artillery position. There, he set up an observation post with a clear view of enemy gun emplacements and relayed their positions to Allied artillery.

When shelling severed the line, Prince disguised himself as a farmer, grabbed a hoe, and walked calmly into the open fields under enemy watch. Pretending to weed his crops, he followed the broken line until he found the damage, then knelt to “tie his shoelaces” and quickly repaired it. He even shook his fists at both sides, feigning the disgust and frustration of a civilian caught in the middle of the war.

His steady reporting guided Allied fire that destroyed several German gun sites and saved countless lives, earning him the Military Medal for gallantry. As his citation explains, “Sergeant Prince’s courage and utter disregard for personal safety were an inspiration to his fellows and a marked credit to his unit.”

Months later in France, Prince trekked 70 kilometres through rugged terrain without food or water to locate a German encampment. His reconnaissance led to the capture of over 1,000 enemy soldiers and earned him the American Silver Star.

Despite his heroism, Prince returned to a Canada that did not treat him as an equal. Like many Indigenous soldiers, he was denied access to veterans’ benefits and housing programs, and barred from federal voting. Determined to serve his community, he became a spokesperson for the Manitoba Indian Association, advocating to reform the Indian Act and secure equality for Indigenous peoples.

Prince later re-enlisted and served two tours in the Korean War, continuing to demonstrate extraordinary leadership and courage. Yet after his discharge, discrimination and hardship persisted. He spent his final years living in a Salvation Army shelter and passed away in 1977 at age 62.

At his funeral, attended by representatives from Canada, France, Italy, and the United States, he was honoured by his Nation with the “Death of a Warrior” song.

Sergeant Tommy Prince’s life embodies both the courage and injustice experienced by generations of Indigenous veterans — a reminder of the need for truth, remembrance, and reconciliation.

Photo source: Veterans Affairs Canada

City Activities

The City has laid a wreath at the cenotaph out front of City Hall. Made from sacred cedar, which embodies strength, healing, and protection, the cedar wreath is as a traditional tribute to Indigenous veterans and their enduring spirit.