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Book Review
| No One Ever Asked Me: The World War II Memoirs of an Omaha Indian Soldier. By Hollis D. Stabler. Edited by Victoria Smith. (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2005. xvii + 183 pp. Illustrations, maps, appendix, notes, bibliography, index. $24.95; £18.95.)
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No One Ever Asked Me, aptly titled by Hollis Doran Stabler, is reflective of a larger, ongoing discussion of life stories between Native peoples and non-Natives. According to Smith, Hollis's "tardy entry into the genre" is an interesting observation because thus far, American Indians have largely been ignored in historical accounts of World War II (p. xvi). It is only recently that the voices of Indian veterans have been actively privileged and recorded (p. xvi). Mr. Stabler's recollections help to diversify World War II literature. |
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The author is a lively narrator who recalls his childhood, military exploits, and return home with discerning detail. With Stabler's rejection from the U. S. Marine Recruitment Center in Sioux City, Iowa, a smooth transition is made into Stabler's rich lineage and various childhood memories, such as school and work off the reservation. The next four chapters are dedicated to Hollis's successful enlistment with the army and subsequent military battles in Algeria, Sicily, Italy, and France. The most poignant memory is that of his brother Bob in Pozzouli, Italy, on 21 January 1944 (p. 80). After talking, drinking, and eating throughout the evening, both needed to return to their respective units. Hollis recalls, "I said, 'I'll see you, Bob.' He said, 'Okay.' It was the last time I saw my brother alive" (p. 80). Stabler's final chapter succinctly recounts his return to the United States. After his discharge from the service, Stabler took advantage of the G. I. Bill and eventually returned home to the Omaha Indian Reservation. |
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Victoria Smith, assistant professor of American Indian history at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, begins the monograph by recounting her first interview with Mr. Stabler at his home on the Omaha Indian Reservation. The rest of her introduction provides a cursory glance at the body of literature concerning "collaborative biography," "Native American autobiography," and, more broadly, World War II memoirs (p. xii). Although Smith asserts that this "book is not a history of the Omaha Nation," it would be helpful to place this monograph within Omaha historiography (p. xvii). As editor, Smith makes "editorial interjections that ... are intended ... to contextualize Hollis's story"; however, these interjections often distract the reader and disrupt the flow of Stabler's narration (p. xiii). This reviewer would have preferred a brief historical overview at the beginning of each chapter. This would have assisted Hollis's narration and would have minimized the need for in-text editorial interjections. Finally, this "collaborative biography" would be useful to those interested primarily in military history and American Indian soldier memoirs. |
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| Elise Boxer
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| Arizona State University |
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ISSN 1939-8603
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