Otis Leader

He was born in Indian Territory near what is now Calvin, Hughes County, Oklahoma.^[2] Raised in Lehigh, Leader had Chickasaw, Choctaw, Scottish, and Irish ancestry.^[2] (One account of his life states that "Leader, although born a Chickasaw, was enrolled as a Choctaw.")^[3] As "Odis Leader", he is listed as 1/2 Choctaw by Blood on the Dawes Rolls.^[4]

Leader worked as a ranch foreman before the war.^[5] His employer was "worked with a Swiss company in the cattle business and traveled to Fort Worth, Texas, on business. He had been followed by immigration agents who thought he was a spy."^[6] Army Intelligence reportedly thought Leader's Swiss boss was a German spy and Leader was a Spanish spy, and ordered them both arrested.^[7] According to a newspaper account published in the 1960s, "Fort Worth officers trailed them until Leader and his friend caught the train back to McAlester. Texas authorities wired ahead. When they got off the train here, U.S. Marshal Crockett Lee was waiting for them. But Lee and Leader were old friends. The talk about cloak and dagger activities brought a quiet chuckle from both Lee and Leader."^[8]

Leader enlisted on April 17, 1917 "as proof of his American loyalty".^[5] Leader reported for duty to Oklahoma City, May 1, was transferred to Fort Logan, Colorado, was sent from there to El Paso, Texas, and was assigned to the 16th Infantry Regiment, Company H.^[3] The regiment sailed about June 1, 1917, arriving at St. Nazaire, France, June 25.^[3] The second battalion of the 16th Infantry was attacked November 3 at the Marne–Rhine Canal, Leader serving as part of a machine gun crew.^[9] On July 28, 1918, in the second battle of the Marne, at the Aisne-Marne sector, "Leader was a corporal in charge of one of the two machine gun crews, and while advancing in the face of the enemy, his entire gun crew and gun were blown off the face of the earth, he alone surviving. Recovering from shell shock, Leader seized a rifle and advanced under fire with the infantry, being lost three days from his company, and while the infantry had the attention of the Germans, Leader crawled through an oatfield, down a small branch or ditch, and in this manner worked his way in behind the enemy and was within 60 ft (18 m) of them before discovered, and having them covered with an automatic rifle, captured two machine guns and eighteen prisoners."^[9] He captured the 18 Germans while holding a French rifle that he did not know how to use that turned out to have only one bullet in it anyway.^[8]

He was frequently gassed and wounded twice.^[10][7] Leader fought and was wounded and gassed at Cantigny, May 28, 1918; fought at Soissons, Château-Thierry, July 18, 1918; fought in Saint-Mihiel Salient, September 12, 1918; fought in the Argonne Forest, October 1, 1918, where he was again wounded and gassed; was cited for distinguished service, and was awarded the distinguished service cross.^[9] He was in the Tuchel prisoner of war camp at Tuchola, West Prussia for a time.^[1] He was awarded the Croix de Guerre and Palm by France.^[7][1] The Americans awarded him two Silver Stars, the Distinguished Service Cross, nine battle stars, and a Purple Heart with clusters.^[8][11] His portrait was painted twice.^[2] He was recovering from shrapnel wounds at a hospital in Argonne when the armistice was signed.^[2]

Leader was not a citizen of the United States at the time of his service.^[6] Native Americans were not granted U.S. citizenship until 1924.^[6]

Leader returned to the United States and worked for the Oklahoma highway department for at least 25 years.^[1] He died in a veterans hospital in 1961 at age 79 after "suffering complications from his military service".^[2][8]

He was honored by Congress as a Choctaw Code Talker in 2013.^[12]