November 8th, is officially Indigenous Veterans’ Day that began in 1993 to recognize those Indigenous men who volunteered in several wars, including WWI, the Korean War, WWII, in Afgahnistan as a far back as the War of 1812.
In honour of those men who served, we are re-visiting the story of John Henry Yahba of Saugeen First Nation and one of Bruce County’s most decorated soldiers from World War I.
For his Bravery and Gallantry, Private John Henry Yahba was awarded the “Canadian Distinguished Conduct Medal”. This medal is second only to the Victoria Cross.
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As explained by Chief Conrad Ritchie, YAHBA in Ojibwa means, “lead buck” and members of the Yahba clan have been leaders in their community.
Therefore, there is no doubt that when his commanding officer was killed, John Henry Yahba became the “lead buck”.
