Mitchelene BigMan

Mitchelene BigMan (Army) was raised on and off the Montana Crow Reservation, where she struggled with low employment opportunities before enlisting in the Army in 1986 as a diesel mechanic. During her service, she often volunteered for the most challenging assignments, including two deployments to Iraq. She was often subjected to racism and gender discrimination, which inspired her to create the Native American Women Warriors (NAWW), a support group for fellow female veterans of Native American identity. She retired in 2009 with the rank of Sergeant First Class. Born in Montana, she lives in Miramar, Florida.