The inspiring name behind Piestewa Peak: meet the first native woman to die in combat

Memorial Day might be the unofficial start of summer for families across the nation, but it's true purpose is to allow friends and family of fallen service members to honor and commemorate those that have passed away.

Among those honored by the city of Phoenix is Arizona native Lori Piestewa, who was the first Native American woman to die serving in the U.S. military overseas.

You might recognize her name from one of Phoenix's tallest and most popular mountains: Piestewa Peak. The 2,600-foot-tall peak is just one of many memorials around the state that honors the life and death of the Hopi soldier.

Who was Lori Piestewa?

Lori Ann Piestewa was born on December 14, 1979 in Tuba City, Arizona, one of the largest communities on the Navajo Reservation.

As a 23-year-old Hispanic-Hopi mother of two, she would become the first American woman to die in the Iraq War and the first Native American woman to die serving in the U.S. Armed Forces on foreign territory.

Piestewa came from a military family and displayed patriotism from an early age. After graduating and having two children, she served as a U.S. Army Private for two years in Oklahoma, Virginia, and Texas before being deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

She was deployed in February 2003 and one month later her convoy would be hit by an enemy grenade. She died from her injuries on March 23, 2003 in a nearby hospital.

Following her death, Piestewa was awarded the Purple Heart, a military decoration for bravery in action. The name Piestewa has since become a symbol for patriotic Native American sacrifice.

In the years following, her legacy would inspire a military support organization of motorcyclists called the Navajo-Hopi Riders and the renaming of a prominent Phoenix mountain.

Renaming Piestewa Peak

Originally named Squaw Peak, the mountain sits as the third-highest point in the city and is located within the Phoenix Mountain Preserve. The mountain is one of the most popular spots in Phoenix for hiking, horseback riding and mountain biking.

Less than a month after Piestewa's death, a state panel voted to rename Squaw Peak in her honor. Following the mandatory five-year waiting period, the mountain was officially renamed Piestewa Peak in 2008.

Supporters of the name change said the new name would represent everyone that had died in combat, and they argued the original name was offensive; many Native Americans had been trying for years to get the name changed.

In 2021, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, a citizen of the Laguna Pueblo tribe, announced plans to replace derogatory names of the nation’s geographic features. She declared “squaw” to be a derogatory term and ordered the Board on Geographic Names, the federal body responsible for naming geographic places, to implement procedures to remove the term from federal usage.

One of these long-time supporters is Bobby Martin, the President of the Navajo-Hopi Honor Riders and cousin of Piestewa.

"To rename a peak that was really demeaning to our Native women and to have it renamed in Lori's name and her honor was a really big deal to our family," said Martin.

The Navajo-Hopi Honor Riders

The Navajo-Hopi Honor Riders is a nonprofit organization that brings together hundreds of volunteers each year for a multi-day, 400-mile motorcycle ride honoring families who have lost loved ones in overseas combat.

This year's ride took place from May 16-19, with around 120 motorcyclists traveling through four states and making 40 stops. At each stop, the riders honored a fallen soldier and spent time with a Gold Star family.

“It's a really emotional and spiritual ride because again, it was to make sure that all the families know that they're not alone. The main thing is that we will never let their loved one be forgotten," said Martin.

The process began in 2003 after Piestewa's death when Martin and about 20 other riders traveled to Tuba City to visit her family and offer their support.

Martin said that after staying with the family and sharing memories through the night Martin's uncle, and father to Piestewa, expressed his gratitude to them for making the trip.

"The next morning when we were getting ready to roll out my uncle came out, who was also a Vietnam veteran, and he said the way you made our family feel helped make this whole thing more bearable," said Martin.

Martin recalled his uncle telling him, “Please don’t let this be the last time you do this.”

The most recent honor ride marked the Navajo-Hopi Honor Riders' 21st anniversary.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Who is Piestewa Peak named after? The story will inspire you