In memory of Squaw Peak
The sun had just started illuminating the top of Piestewa Peak when this morning's memorial service was set to start. Shoshana Johnson, who was captured during the incident that killed her comrade, Lori Piestewa, stood on the picnic area at the mountain's base and shook her head recalling the controversy over changing the peak's name.
"Ooh," she said, "I was really upset."
The furor was touched off after Gov. Janet Napolitano ordered the name of the mountain changed from Squaw Peak to Piestewa Peak. It unleashed a fury of discontent, with some questioning whether the original name was a racial slur and even whether or not Piestewa was worthy of the honor.
"I sat down with my sister and just vented," Johnson said. Her sister helped get her thoughts down in a letter. Johnson didn't say where it was sent, but sounded is if she felt better just writing it.
"It was derogatory," she said of the old name, which still graces the road leading up to Piestewa Peak, "and changing it really says something positive about the whole state."
Jessica Lynch, Piestewa's bunkmate and friend who was also here for the ceremony, agreed. Lynch said she did find it a little odd that a geographical landmark in the middle of a big city carried such a strange name. "I just totally appreciate it as something to honor her," Lynch said. "This is a way to keep her name alive."
Lynch didn't mind that rules were bent to name it immediately. "I think it was appropriate. Change the name now, not 10 years from now," she said.
At the time, though, it was a raw issue. People worried about the process or talked about how it destroyed Phoenix history. Traffic reporters called the highway the "51" instead of the "Piestewa Peak Parkway." Businesses in the area still carry the "Squaw Peak" name, even though it now sounds grating.
Joseph Hudson, another member of Piestewa's company who was taken prisoner of war during the incident three years ago, said the mountain's name makes it stand for all soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. "Today is not just about Piestewa. It's about all of the comrades," he said.
Even had the name not changed, the Piestewa memorial might still be held at the mountain. Percy Piestewa, mother of the fallen soldier, said the park was the site of several family gatherings. "That's the funny thing. We always had family reunions here," she said.
Lori Piestewa's aunt, Liz Gonzales, said the peak was one of Lori's favorite spots. I told her that story didn't get told during the heated debates about the name change. Gonzales shrugged her shoulders. "Nobody asked," she said.
At one point during the ceremony, Patrick Miller, the fourth former POW on hand today, stepped about 20 yards away from the speeches and songs, turned his back to the crowd and wept. Percy Piestewa went over to him and hugged him. His shoulders shook as he stood at the base of Piestewa Peak.
At the time Napolitano pushed for the change, maybe it didn't make sense to name this cactus-studded jagged hill that juts out of the middle of Phoenix after a woman who grew up in Tuba City. But it makes sense now. At least as of sunrise this morning.