ADA, Okla. — The Chickasaw Nation is filled with stories passed down from generation to generation. Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer’s book “Otis W. Leader: The Ideal American Doughboy” recounts the story of a First American World War I veteran. The book was featured at the Library of Congress National Book Festival in August and won two Oklahoma Book Awards.
Each year, the Affiliate Centers for the Book chooses a book that represents its state’s heritage to go to a Washington, DC convention where each state and territory has a table for their “Great Reads.” Sawyer’s book was selected by the Oklahoma Center for the Book to be Oklahoma’s “Great Read.”
Sawyer is a story archaeologist who looks at past lives and events to share with the world. She works diligently to uncover historic events and allow people’s legacies to live forever. Through years of dedicated research through documents, letters and excerpts from Leader’s personal journal, Sawyer weaves together the story of Otis W. Leader’s journey during the war.
“Otis W. Leader: The Ideal American Doughboy” describes the life of Leader and his service to his country. Leader was a 35-year-old man of Chickasaw, Choctaw, Cherokee and Irish descent. Leader was a widower with three children. He was accused of being a German spy, despite being a patriot. Sawyer said Leader’s mind was set to serve his country even before America entered the war. He knew he wanted to do his part.
According to Sawyer, Leader was one of the first to be shipped off to France in WWI and was one of the initial First American soldiers to step foot on French soil. Upon his arrival in France, there was a Fourth of July parade. An artist at the event noticed how Leader stood out from the crowd.
“The artist had spotted Otis in the Fourth of July parade,’ Sawyer said. “He thought, ‘Who better to represent the American soldiers than an American Indian?’
“He was chosen in France to represent the ideal American doughboy and along those lines, he was chosen to represent the state of Oklahoma at the Library of Congress’s National Book Festival,” said Sawyer. “Otis will be doing everyone proud once again.”
Sawyer said Leader personifies what it means to be selfless and to fight for what is right.
The book also took home two awards in the nonfiction and design category at the Oklahoma Book Awards.
“When they called out Otis W. Leader, it was an explosive moment for all of us,” Sawyer said. “It felt like the winning touchdown.”
Sawyer said she could not be prouder of the Chickasaw Press and Jackson Davis, senior graphic designer, who designed the cover and interior of the book. Davis took Otis’ handwriting and created a new font to put in the book as well as newspaper articles and letters in Leader’s journal.
“It was just a beautiful moment to capture,” Sawyer said.
Sawyer said Leader’s story is timeless, and she admires his bravery to leave his home and family in Oklahoma to fight for a cause bigger than himself.
“He embodied the heroism and the courage and bravery of our American troops throughout history, especially First American ones,” Sawyer said. “So just thinking about his faith and his courage carrying him through every major combat Americans faced during the Great War is outstanding.”
For more information or to purchase the book, visit ChickasawPress.com.