Choate is Choctaw Veteran of the Month

Lyman Choate, District 2, is Choctaw Nation’s Veteran of the Month.

Choate was born in Talihina, Okla., and raised in Miller, Okla. After his mother’s passing, he lived with his great-aunt before moving to Antlers, where he began school. He attended Goodland Boarding School through 8th grade and moved to Chilocco, Okla., where he graduated from high school.

During the summer, he worked in Okla. City and met his future wife while he was staying with his sister. With limited job prospects, Choate enlisted in the U.S. Navy in Feb. 1958.

Choate completed Basic Training in San Diego, Calif., before attending electrical school, specializing in ship electrical systems. He was stationed for 18 months in Subic Bay on the USS Bonhomme Richard (CV-31), an aircraft carrier based in San Diego. Following two additional months of training, he sailed to Yokosuka, Japan, where he was stationed for approximately eight months. He worked on “Mike” boats, transporting supplies to troops and maintaining and repairing electrical systems on Harbor Patrol Boats.

His service took him to various locations across Japan, but his favorite was watching night landings and takeoffs on the aircraft carrier flight deck. He served until Feb. 1962, and he and Ruby were married that June.

Upon returning to civilian life, Choate worked as a surveyor assistant, building the road across the Broken Bow Dam, and then as a Maintenance Electrician at Dierks Lumber (later Weyerhaeuser), remaining for 28 years until his 1998 retirement.

Choate and his late wife, Ruby, a nurse at the Ruby Choate Clinic, had five children, 17 grandchildren, and 18 great-grandchildren, with another on the way.

He deeply respects military service and expresses concern for the country’s future and world stability. He is proud to have served and enjoyed his time in the U.S. Navy.

Choate’s hobby is creating and selling wooden sculptures using hand tools and small power tools.

The Choctaw Nation holds our veterans in the highest esteem and appreciates their sacrifices and contributions to preserve our freedoms and the way of life we hold dear.