ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
Soldier Recalled as Selfless Warrior
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, November 21, 2006; Page B03
Army Staff Sgt. Lucas White joined the military to honor his Native American heritage and support his family.
His mother, Julia Brooks, said that her son was always interested in the military and that as a youngster, he spent hours playing with toy guns and plastic soldiers.
  During the burial of Army Staff Sgt. Lucas White at Arlington National Cemetery, his grandfather Five Crows holds a feather. He later led a Native American ceremony in traditional dress. Next to him is White's father, Mervin White. (By Susan Biddle -- The Washington Post) |
"Warriors are held in very high esteem in our culture," she said, adding that White's uncle as well as his father, Mervin White, served in the Army. One younger brother, Marcus Ramos, recently joined the Marine Forces Reserve and another, Seth Brooks, is considering joining.
Yesterday, family and friends gathered to bury the warrior at Arlington National Cemetery. White, 28, of Moses Lake, Wash., died Nov. 6 of injuries suffered during an enemy attack in Baghdad.
His wife, Jennifer White, said it was his wish to be buried at Arlington.
"He wanted to be with the brothers and sisters that had his back," she said. "He wanted to have their backs in spirit."
White was the 277th service member killed in the Iraq war to be buried at Arlington.
A bitter November wind rattled the bare trees as mourners gathered around his grave. After the military rituals, White's grandfather, Five Crows, led a Native American service in ceremonial dress. On Saturday, family and friends gathered in Washington for a mourning ceremony that lasted from sunset to sunrise.
White was a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, based in Pendleton, Ore.
Jennifer White said her husband took great pride in his heritage and often drove miles to attend Native American powwows and other spiritual ceremonies.
Before he started basic training, they discussed his reasons for joining the military; she concluded it was out of selflessness.
"He said: 'I'm joining the Army, and I'm doing this for us. I want to make sure you're taken care of,' " she recalled.
