The Story of Geronimo

When I was a boy, when we jumped into the creek or out of trees, we would yell, "Geronimo!" as loud as we could. At the time, we had no idea why we did it, that is what the older boys had yelled. We knew of the Apache warrior Geronimo and his exploits in fighting the American and Mexican armies in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, but we never knew the reason for our yell. Until I read this book, I was unaware that it was the call of U. S. paratroopers in World War II as they leapt from their planes. It was a rallying cry of courage in the face of danger. The history of the Indian tribes in the United States and their treatment by the government is of course a sad one. Geronimo was one of the last of the fighters for the native way of life; his last surrender to the American army was in 1886. A shadow of his former self, he died in 1909. There is no question that Geronimo was a great military leader; his small band was able to fight off and elude military expeditions much larger than his. It was only when the U. S. army employed Apache scouts and literally covered all available watering holes that they were able to capture him. Given the number of people that were killed by his soldiers on their raids, it is surprising that Geronimo was never executed. Written at the level of the later elementary school student, this book is an excellent explanation of what were the final battles for white control of the territory of the United States. Geronimo was a great warrior and military leader, in other circumstances, he would have been hailed as the savior of a nation. It is fitting that in the end, he was respected as a man who was fighting for his people and his way of life. This is a point of history that should be passed on.