The code name ‘Geronimo' angers American Indian groups - KGUN9 On Your Side, Tucson News, Weather & Sports: 'Geronimo EKIA' – or Geronimo, enemy killed in action – are the words that followed the killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan and set off a firestorm of controversy from many American Indian groups over the code name.
The moniker that the military assigned to the raid and possibly the terrorist leader himself has elicited strong responses from many organizations, including the National Congress of American Indians.'To associate a native warrior bin Laden is not an accurate reflection of history, and it undermines the military service of native people,' said President Jefferson Keel.
Geronimo was part of the Apache tribe and led his people against expansion by Mexico and the United States. He was both revered and reviled, according to Jay VanOrden, a retired Director of Field Services at the Arizona Historical Society.
