Kilma S. Lattin

In April 2003 while en route to a flight school training session at Fort Rucker, Lattin saw a woman on the side of the road who was engulfed in flames. This was later revealed to have been caused by to an accident with a gas mower. The woman had panicked and run, causing the flames to spread. Lattin jumped out of his vehicle and saved her life by pushing her to the ground and extinguishing the flames with his body and the freshly-mowed grass.[9] During this incident, Lattin sustained 2nd-degree burns over his face, arms, and neck. He was recognized for the deed with a Distinguished Citizen Award by the City of Enterprise, Alabama, and presented with the Soldier's Medal for Valor by the Commanding General Officer of Fort Rucker, the U.S. Army's flight school.[8]

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting the Soldier's Medal to Second Lieutenant Kilma Sibimoat Lattin, United States Army, for heroism at the risk of life not involving conflict with an armed enemy above and beyond the call of duty on 17 April 2003. Second Lieutenant Lattin exhibited unparalleled heroism by sacrificing his personal safety and risking his own life to save the life of a woman who was fully engulfed in flames. Despite injuries repeatedly sustained during his instantaneous response, Second Lieutenant Lattin used his body to extinguish the fire and save the woman's life. His unhesitating bravery and selfless action in the face of life-threatening danger are hallmarks of true heroic conduct and an example of being truly "Above the Best." Second Lieutenant Lattin's actions reflect great credit upon himself, Delta Company, 1-145th Aviation Regiment, and the United States Army.[10]

Starting in 2006, Lattin held various leadership roles on the Pala Reservation, including a position in the Tribal Council, various boards, and in delegations to the National Congress of American Indians and National Indian Gaming Commission. In 2012, he worked with Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs John Tahsuda to draft domestic policy positions for the 2012 Presidential Campaign.[1][11][12][13]

In 2007, Lattin led an effort to raise $600,000 and hired skatepark architect Wally Hollyday[14] to design and build a new 22,000-square-foot skatepark that included bowls, ramps, rails, and a kidney-shaped pool within the existing Pala Reservation sports complex. Completed in 2018, the Pala Skatepark[15] was featured in the touring exhibition "Ramp It Up: Skateboard Culture in Native America" which showed at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian Washington, D.C. location and its New York City location in 2009 and 2010, with a national tour in 2012-2015.[16][17][18]

Lattin founded the Pala Veterans Organization which provides Pala veterans with a community and meeting schedule which has provided a much-needed outlet in which to share their experiences with other veterans, and subsequently conceived of and produced a documentary titled, Defending The Homeland[19] about their service in the military. It won a Regional Emmy Award in 2013.[20][21]