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Cherokee Copy of Lord's Prayer Given to Smithsonian

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (AP) — A copy of the Lord's Prayer in the Cherokee language carried by a Cherokee World War II veteran has been donated to the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.

The late Woodrow Roach of Tahlequah fought for the U.S. Army from 1944-45 and believed the prayer to be his good luck charm while serving in Italy and the Philippines. Roach's family donated the prayer to the museum as a way to honor their patriarch's sacrifice.

Roach was 32 he went to war and chose to fight for his country even though the Army said he could opt out since he had three young children at home. He completed his basic training at Fort Chaffee near Fort Smith, Arkansas, and then joined the fight in Italy.