Matthew B. Juan (April 22, 1892 – May 28, 1918), sometimes spelled Mathew B. Juan, was a Native American hero of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

who died in the

Battle of Cantigny The Battle of Cantigny, fought May 28, 1918 was the first major American battle and offensive of World War I. The U.S. 1st Division, the most experienced of the five American divisions then in France and in reserve for the French Army near the v ...

. Juan was the first

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

n to die in the war.

Biography

Juan (birth name: Matthew Bennett Juan) was part of the

Pima people The Pima (or Akimel O'odham, also spelled Akimel Oʼotham, "River People," formerly known as ''Pima'') are a group of Native Americans living in an area consisting of what is now central and southern Arizona, as well as northwestern Mexico in ...

from the Gila River Indian Community. Juan was born in San Tan, Pinal Co., Arizona April 22, 1892 to Joseph and Mary B. Juan. Matthew grew up in the small agricultural town of Sacaton, Arizona (also the capital of the Gila River Indian Community). He stayed there until he reached high school and left for the

Sherman Institute Sherman Indian High School (SIHS) is an off-reservation boarding high school for Native Americans. Originally opened in 1892 as the Perris Indian School, in Perris, California, the school was relocated to Riverside, California in 1903, under the n ...

(an

Indian boarding school American Indian boarding schools, also known more recently as American Indian residential schools, were established in the United States from the mid 17th to the early 20th centuries with a primary objective of "civilizing" or assimilating Na ...

) in

Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States, in the Inland Empire metropolitan area. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. It is the most populous city in the Inland Empire an ...

. Upon graduation, he joined a travelling circus.American Indian Mathew B. Juan, WWI Hero
/ref> In June 1917 Juan registered his Selective Service Card with the local draft board in

Wichita Falls, Texas Wichita Falls ( ) is a city in and the seat of government of Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay, and Wichita counties. Accordin ...

. Six months later he was drafted. He joined the 6th Co. 1st Infantry Training Regiment on December 11, 1917. He boarded the troopship

SS Tuscania Several ships have borne the name SS ''Tuscania'', all in the Cunard-subsidiary Anchor Line. These include: * , a 14,348-ton liner torpedoed in 1918 while transporting US soldiers to Europe. * , a 16,991-ton liner sold to the Greek Line in 1939 ...

in January 1918, bound for

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very cl ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. The Tuscania was torpedoed by a German U-boat February 5, 1918 in the North Channel (U.K.), and 200 American Troops perished along with an additional 65 crew members of the Tuscania. Juan was rescued and taken to Ireland, and eventually made his way to the location of his regiment's encampment. On May 21, 1918, Juan was transferred to the 1st Division, 2nd Infantry Brigade,

28th Infantry Since the establishment of the United States Army in 1775, three regiments have held the designation 28th Infantry Regiment. The first was a provisional unit that was constituted on 29 January 1813 and served during The War of 1812. The second ...

, Company K. At 6:45 am Tuesday May 28, 1918, the 28th Infantry attacked the German-occupied area near

Cantigny Cantigny is a park in Wheaton, Illinois, 30 miles west of Chicago. It is the former estate of Joseph Medill and his grandson Colonel Robert R. McCormick, publishers of the ''Chicago Tribune'', and is open to the public. Cantigny includes large ...

, France. It was the first American offensive against German-occupied territory in World War I. Juan was killed from enemy machine gun fire while advancing on the German stronghold. His body was temporarily buried in France. In 1921 the U.S. Military exhumed the body and at the request of his mother, returned him home to Arizona. His remains were delivered to the Fisher Funeral Home in

Casa Grande, Arizona , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = Casa Grande-Casa Grande Union High School-1920-2.jpg , imagesize = 250px , image_caption = Historic Casa Grande Union High School which now serves as the ...

where preparations were made for the final burial at the C.H. Cook Memorial Church yard in Sacaton, Arizona. He was buried with honors April 9, 1921. Juan was the first Arizonan to be killed in World War I.

Matthew B. Juan Monument

Michael Sullivan, a stonemason from Casa Grande, built a monument dedicated to Juan in the town of Sacaton. The monument, which is located in the Matthew B. Juan–Ira Hayes Veterans Memorial Park of Sacaton, is made of

fieldstone Fieldstone is a naturally occurring type of stone, which lies at or near the surface of the Earth. Fieldstone is a nuisance for farmers seeking to expand their land under cultivation, but at some point it began to be used as a construction mate ...

References

External links

Memorial
at the Gila River Indian Community website {{DEFAULTSORT:Juan, Matthew B. 1892 births 1918 deaths United States Army soldiers American military personnel killed in World War I People from Pinal County, Arizona Akimel O'odham people 20th-century Native Americans United States Army personnel of World War I Native American people from Arizona

Biography

Matthew B. Juan Monument

See also

References

External links