Standing up for women’s rights can also mean standing up for your country.

Fawn and Swift Sanchez are Indigenous twin sisters from Central Washington who both served in the National Guard. They spoke about their experiences as women and people of color while on active duty and beyond in a panel hosted by the Bainbridge Island Senior Community Center on Veterans Day.

“So often, Veterans Day and veterans events are centered around men. Women are an afterthought, or not even mentioned,” said Fawn Sanchez, who served between 2000-08, including a tour of Afghanistan. Many support programs for active-duty members target men, and social reintegration programs are the same, she added.

But for Indigenous Americans, and especially women, serving can be a natural extension of the culture. Despite a high level of distrust for the federal government due to generational trauma, Native people enlist at five times the national average, and almost 20% are women.

In many Native cultures, women are encouraged to pursue leadership and public service roles, the sisters explained, and military service represents a way to honor that commitment to community and to achieve economic mobility.

“It’s the fact that we embrace the warrior spirit,” Lt. Cmdr. Swift Sanchez said. “This country is ours, and it’s ours to defend.”

Military service is a big part of the sisters’ family. Their grandfather, uncles, cousins, and now little brother are all or have been in the military, they said. That’s one reason Fawn joined: it was “the right path to take,” and a way to get to college. While they were among few women in their family who enlisted, it wasn’t for lack of interest, they explained.

“In our family, most women are leading other things — tribal council, community groups, all that. We were driven toward college,” Swift said. “The military was the pathway to something bigger.”

While abroad, the sisters had their share of inspiration and challenges.

During her first tour in Germany, Fawn Sanchez found camaraderie with other Native women, which was “comforting and welcoming” despite being so far from home. Swift Sanchez learned to tackle imposter syndrome through pride in her rank, choosing to sit “at the front of the room” during meetings with other lieutenant commanders. Like many women servicemembers, both sisters struggled to find support from the institution for their families at home.

“Nearly all the support was geared toward male servicemembers,” Swift Sanchez said.

But the culture is changing, they said. Swift Sanchez notes that gay and transgender people have always been involved in the military, and as the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” era wanes, there are more opportunities for visibility. A friend of hers has transitioned since enlisting, and has been “impressed with the questions people have asked.”

Since returning to civilian society, Fawn Sanchez has moved to Forks and taken on high-level roles at Amazon. Many tech companies have made a concerted effort to recruit people transitioning out of service, she said, but it was hard at first. “For many Indigenous Americans in the military, they’re returning to underserved communities with high poverty rates,” Fawn said.

Both sisters noted that the Suquamish tribe has done an excellent job of reintegrating veterans back into tribal society. The Suquamish Warriors facilitates assistance for veterans families and promotes post-duty support programs. “As Natives, our culture is a big part of our identity. The Suquamish tribe is on the right track with that,” Fawn Sanchez said.

Senior center member Barbara Ochota expressed inspiration to the Sanchez sisters for sharing their story. It’s not often that young women of color have the opportunity to use their voice and stand on an even playing field with men, Ochota said, and the military is a unique avenue for that.

“Everyone has different reasons for enlisting, and says ‘Thank you for your service,’” Swift Sanchez said. “But we always say, ‘No, thank you for allowing us to serve.’”