"When I won that world championship and they put me in all these halls of fame, I told them, 'If there's one thing I was proud of, I was a good representative of my Cherokee Nation and I was a good representative of the United States.' I was proud of that." (Audio Interview, 01:54:26.0)

Joe T. Thornton

Joe Thornton at time of interview [9/23/2016] War: World War, 1939-1945 Branch: Army; Army Unit: War Department; Signal Corps Service Location: Fort Sill, Oklahoma; also: Alexandria, Virginia

At the time of his interview in 2016, Joe Thornton was a centenarian and the oldest living alumnus of Chilocco Indian Agricultural School in Oklahoma. His interview is vividly illustrated with stories from his childhood growing up Cherokee in Oklahoma in the early 20th century. Additionally, he was a World War II veteran, drafted when he was 27. Laughing about it years later, he said, "I told them, 'I'm the oldest soldier in basic training in the Army'." (Audio Interview, 00:29:45.0) He served stateside in the Army Signal Corps from 1943 until 1945. But Thornton's highest achievements were in the field of archery. By the end of his life, he had won Gold for the United States at the 1961 World Archery Championships in Oslo, Norway and had been inducted into four Halls of Fame for his skill with a bow: the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame, the Oklahoma State Archery Association Hall of Fame, the Chilocco Indian School Hall of Fame, and the Cherokee Nation Honor Society.