Veterans Celebrated at Walters Homecoming Dance

Comanches from across America gathered from Friday, July 19, through Sunday, July 21, in Walters, Oklahoma, at Sultan Park for the 71st Walters Homecoming Dance.

Three veterans, Rhonda Williams, DeAnn Nibbs LeBeau and Eleanor Atauvich McDaniel, were honored over the weekend.

According to Fred Fodder, who helped coordinate the dance, the event was created in 1952 by the families of veterans to honor Comanches who fought in Korea. 

“If you look around, there's a lot of camps. A lot of the families camp in the same area and have camped in the same area all these years,” he said. “So, all the people that are involved with the dance are all descended from the original people that were part of this.”

Fodder said the environment is unique to all others.

“No feeling like it anywhere than here. We call it a good spirit,” he said. “God brings that good spirit to you to be around when you dance and it's arena. And he's done that. We were expecting rain today. We didn't get rain here. It got rain in Lawton. So, and that's the second year.”

Fodder said they’re always looking forward to the future.

“We hope that the future will bring nothing but good things for our people and that they will continue to support the Comanche celebration because we're unique, we're one of a kind, we have come to find out we are noted from coast to coast,” he said. “We've gotten all kinds of messages, all kinds of Facebook messages. We've got all kinds of publicity and we hope that will continue way after this.”

Royalty in attendance was Comanche Homecoming Princess Jasmine Poemoceah, Comanche Indian Veterans Association Princess Clara Yazzie Tee-Ohms, Walters Service Club Princess Kyleigh Davidson, Comanche Marine Corps Princess Kasey Atauvich, Comanche Nation Princess Bluesky Tosee and Comanche Nation Jr. Princess Arlene Schonchin.

Comanche Nation Chairman Forrest Tahdooahnippah was also in attendance.