Native American tribe seeks apology over codename

THE leader of the Fort Sill Apache Tribe is asking US President Barack Obama for a formal apology for the government’s use of the codename Geronimo for Osama bin Laden.

Tribal chairman Jeff Houser sent a letter to the president on Tuesday, claiming that equating the legendary Apache warrior to a “mass murderer and cowardly terrorist” was painful and offensive to all Native Americans. The letter was posted on the Oklahoma tribe’s website.

“Right now Native American children all over this country are facing the reality of having one of their most revered figures being connected to a terrorist and murderer of thousands of innocent Americans,” he wrote. “Think about how they feel at this point.”