Tompkins County Veterans Committee

In 1954, Chief Thomas K. Yallup of Toppen*sh, Washington, chairman of the Yakima (now Yakama) Indian Tribal Council, visited his son, Corporal Bill Yallup, during Army training at the Yakima Firing Center in Washington State.

Standing beside his son's M48 Patton tank, the chief appears in traditional regalia while Corporal Yallup wears the uniform of a U.S. Army tank crewman. The striking contrast between the two figures has made the photograph one of the most iconic images of Native American and military history.

The original caption described the tank as Corporal Yallup's "iron horse," noting that it roamed the same plains where Native American warriors had once ridden horseback. Rather than symbolizing a clash between old and new, the photograph captures the continuity of service across generations: a respected tribal leader visiting his son, who had chosen to serve his country in a very different way.

More than seventy years later, the image remains a powerful reminder that Native Americans have served in the United States military at exceptionally high rates throughout the nation's history, while maintaining deep connections to their tribal identities and traditions.