Linda Old Horn-Purdy, a member of the Crow Tribe, established herself as a trailblazer during her time in the U.S. Navy. In 1999, for example, she became one of the first women in that military branch to serve on a combatant ship.
Old Horn-Purdy started out life on the Crow Agency reservation in Montana. “I grew up around very traditional grandparents, and my father would pass down stories,” she recalled in a 2014 interview with Shannon Collins of Department of Defense (DOD) News. “We had oral history. They would teach us from our ancestors. Nothing was written down.” Old Horn-Purdy also noted, “I grew up knowing some of my language, but my first language was English. I went to school off the reservation, so I lived in both worlds.”
Old Horn-Purdy comes from a family with a strong military tradition. Both of her grandfathers served in World War II; her paternal grandfather Allen Old Horn was in the U.S. Army while her maternal grandfather Allen Old Horn enlisted in the Navy. Old Horn-Purdy’s great-uncles Barney and Henry Old Coyote likewise served with distinction during that global conflict. They were both code talkers, the name given to Native Americans who used their tribal language to transmit secret high-priority Allied communications in theaters of combat.
As she confirmed in her DOD News interview in 2014, Old Horn-Purdy faced plenty of challenges of her own while serving as a Native American woman in the Navy. These challenges included her being among the first females assigned to a combatant ship. “It was hard, but we had to adapt if we wanted to continue and learn and do our job,” Old Horn-Purdy stated.
Old Horn-Purdy was similarly candid when discussing what happened after more career opportunities were opened to women in the Navy. “I ended up becoming a machinist, one of the first women in there,” she recalled. “I ended up advancing quickly through that because not too many people wanted to be in there. I don’t know if it was because I was naïve or young, but I used to think, ‘I’m going to be tough. I’m Indian. I’m going to make it.’” Old Horn-Purdy further recounted, “It was hard to learn the theories and engineering principles. I’m thankful for the co-workers who helped me through it. It was hard, but I got through it.”
In the time since retiring from the Navy, Old Horn-Purdy has been significantly involved in promoting Native American culture and in particular encouraging people to attend pow wows. “It’s good for people to learn and see what we’re all about,” she has asserted.
Photo Credit: DOD News
For more information on Linda Old Horn-Purdy, please check out https://allhands.navy.mil/Stories/Display-Story/Article/1839843/native-american-navy-veteran-paved-way-for-career-field-honors-heritage/
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