Traditionally, a red eagle feather is presented to a veteran who has sustained an injury during combat. We believe that there is not a single service member who returns from a combat deployment without some injury, whether it is physical, mental or emotional. All combat veterans are deserving of a red eagle feather.
Native People of North America attach special significance to Eagle and His feathers; to receive an eagle feather is to be given the highest honor that can be awarded.
Eagles, and their feathers, are considered sacred and are honored by using great care, and shown the deepest respect. They represent honesty, strength, courage, wisdom, and freedom, because as Eagle roams the sky, He has a special connection to the Creator.
Eagle flies higher and sees better than any other bird, and therefore His perspective is different than that of other beings that are held close to the Earth. The Creator also has a different perspective of what occurs below in this world of physical things in which humankind resides, and so Eagle became the messenger. He was given the honor of carrying the prayers of man between the World of Earth and the World of Spirit, where the Creator and the Grandfathers reside.
To wear or hold an Eagle feather causes the Creator to take immediate notice; with the Eagle feather, the Creator is honored in the highest way. It is the custom of many Native cultures to bestow an Eagle feather upon their returning veterans.
Red is a sacred color to all Native people. It represents victory, but also blood. A red eagle feather represents a warrior who has seen victory and death, or has been wounded; this is why the Red Feather Veterans is an organization specifically for combat veterans.
