The Cherokee Nation has honored a Kaw Nation tribal court judge and veteran with the Medal of Patriotism. Robert Don Gifford, Chief Judge of the Kaw Nation Tribal Court and Cherokee Nation citizen, was recently honored for his 23 years of military service as both an active duty Army Judge Advocate (JAG Corps) and in the reserves, as well as his contributions to service members and veterans in his private practice. Mr. Gifford retired from the Army Reserves in 2019 with the Rank of Colonel. He served on active duty from 1996-2001 and served as a part of the United Nations mission to the Balkans during the war in Bosnia, as well as service at Fort Knox, Fort Sill, Germany, and the Pentagon. He was recalled to active duty in 2007 to work on the war crime cases at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba on the cases of those who planned the attacks on 9/11, the bombing of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, and of the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole. Colonel Gifford, a graduate of the U.S. Army War College, also maintains a state-wide law practice with an emphasis in criminal law and civil rights and also serves as a part-time judge for five other Native American tribes. Judge/Colonel Gifford currently serves as the Chair of the Military and Veterans Law Section for the Oklahoma Bar Association.