The Spirit Warriors

by Deborah J. Higgins

The year 1941 had been a boring year for sixteen-year-old Joseph Stillwater, a Mescalero Apache living on a New Mexico Indian reservation. That was until that December when he heard President Roosevelt’s speech to Congress after the Pearl Harbor bombing. Instantly, he and his cousin, John Runninghorse, knew what they wanted to do. They wanted to fight the enemies of America. So, they defied their parents, ran away, lied about their ages, and joined the Army. Neither teen had ever been off the reservation, yet soon they were in Alabama doing basic training. From there they were sent to Tidworth, England, for specialty training where they were joined by several other Native American soldiers.Their expertise in fighting, tracking, and hunting was so above other American soldiers, it soon had them being reassigned to Scotland where they were to train with elite British Commando soldiers. With the war in Europe intensifying, they were released from that training and sent to France where their mission was to form a unit that could fight and harass the Germans from the shadows while collecting intelligence. They were so successful, the Germans gave them a nickname Geistkriegers, the Spirit Warriors, because they were never seen before or after their deadly attacks, but only heard when they gave an Indian war cry from the depths of the forests.While in France, Joseph found love when he met a French girl, Maria, but experienced heartbreak when she was taken by the Germans. That heartbreak turned into anger and hatred, and turned Joseph into a true Apache warrior on a blood hunt for all Germans. When the war ended, Joseph took those pent-up emotions home with him where his grandfather, his tribe’s shaman, saw the demons within his grandson. He suggested Joseph to experience a ritual spirit walk to his ancestors to cleanse him of his demons. Joseph consented, but could a “visit” to his ancestors cleanse him of the pain he had felt in losing Maria?

343 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 22, 2023

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This magnificent story will stay with me for a long time and I don't say that lightly. Like many Americans, I knew about the Native American code talkers used in World War II but I was completely unaware of these Native American young men who were members of the 29th Provisional Ranger Battalion. Giving nothing away, the British commandos were completely unprepared for the innate skills that these teenagers had from growing up on the reservation. Reading about their exploits behind enemy lines in German-occupied territory filled me with pride but their treatment in their own country made me ashamed. General Omar Bradley named this guerilla group the Shadow Warriors. The Germans called these Native American soldiers the Spirit Warriors because they never saw them coming or going and that terrified them.

My rating would be 4.5 if possible because of the abysmal editing. The author deserves much better for this incredible book that would make a terrific movie. I don't understand why The Spirit Warriors doesn't have a huge following and I encourage everyone to read it! It's not every day that I read a book as inspiring as this one.