US Marine veteran Alan B. Walker will talk about his combat experiences as a "grunt" in the Vietnam War to the Black Hills Veterans Writing Group next Saturday, June 9, at the Western Dakota Technical Institute.

Walker is the author of "Every Warrior Has His Own Song," a book which details the history of the Ho-Chunk Nation, starting with the Treaty of 1832. It includes the evolution of his close-knit family over several generations and their continual wars with the Lakota Sioux.

Walker was born and raised on the Winnebago Reservation in Nebraska. His father was an Omaha Indian, and his mother, Winifred P. Hatchett, was a granddaughter of William Hatchett, one of the original 75 braves who served as scout for the U.S. Army in 1863.

Walker's book provides vivid description of jungle combat and the anguish of life on the front in Vietnam. He looks at the warrior tradition as part and parcel of being an Indian, throughout history and in recent wars: “The Ho-Chunk warriors told many stories about World War II and some the great things that our Winnebagos had done while in service. As I grew older, I knew that I wanted to be a warrior and wondered if I had the right stuff. “

In Vietnam, Walker says Indian warriors sought out the toughest assignments to test their mettle. Desk jobs or well-planned rear-echelon support duty helped the country, but didn’t meet the challenge of being brave and becoming a man. He enlisted to become a combat "grunt."

More information about the event is available at battlestory.org.