"the People's Paths!" Cherokee News Path - Rider and Vann Honored for Military Service

"Left-Right: Echo Rider, Tom Rider, Loretta Vann and Wilson Vann. Tom Rider and Wilson Vann were honored for their military service
by the Cherokee Nation."

TAHLEQUAH, OK - The Cherokee Nation appreciates the selflessness of its military service men and women, and recently honored Wilson Vann of Tahlequah and Tom Rider of Sallisaw for their contributions to the citizens of the Cherokee Nation and the United States.

“It’s a privilege to recognize Mr. Vann and Mr. Rider,” said Chad Smith, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. “I commend them for their military duty and the sacrifices they made to ensure our safety and freedoms.”

Wilson Vann was born in 1924 to James W. Vann and Lila Hardbarger at his home in Short, Okla. Vann attended school at Rock Fence until the eighth grade. Wilson was needed to do things around his home while his father worked to support the family. Upon turning 18, Vann joined the United States Navy. He attended boot camp at Great Lakes in Illinois. He was trained as a Seabee at Williamsburg, Virginia. Wilson’s first duty assignment was on the Amphibious Personnel Destroyer shop and was docked at Nagasaki, Japan, three weeks after the dropping of the A-Bomb.

Mr. Vann was honorably discharged and got a job at the Cessna Aircraft Company in Wichita, Kansas. It was in Wichita that he met and married the love of his life, Loretta Riner. Together, they raised three children, two girls and one boy. This coming September Wilson and Loretta will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary. Today, Wilson is a Grand Master of Tae Kwon Do and is a true eighth degree Black Belt, certified by the World Headquarters of Tae Kwon Do in Seoul, South Korea.

Tom Felix Rider was born in 1918 to Tom Needles Rider and Tiny May Rigsby Rider, original enrollees of the Cherokee Nation. Tom attended high school in Sallisaw and joined the Civilian Conservation Corps just six-weeks before graduation.

In 1941, Rider was inducted into the United States Army in Fort Warren, Wyoming. He was then transferred to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and then onto Camp Grant for basic training. Rider was then transferred to Camp Robinson in Arkansas, where he drove a Cadillac Ambulance. Rider later went on to board the Queen Marry in 1944 and was assigned to the Medical Detachment, 121st General Hospital, where he was responsible for setting up hospitals and motor pools in England, France and Germany. During his military service overseas, Tom also helped to establish an U.S. Army General Hospital. Tom left the army in 1946 and married Echo Garvin in 1947. Today, Rider and his wife, of over 60 years, own and operate a horse and cattle ranch near Sallisaw.

“The Cherokee Nation is pleased to honor our service men and women,” said Smith. “It is a privilege to honor our Cherokee citizens for the commitment and dedication that they provide to our government and to the United States. These men and women sacrifice more than most of us will ever know for our freedoms and safety.”