Samuel Nathan Blatchford (1925–2005) was an American soldier and civil engineer. He is the most decorated Native American soldier to date. Blatchford's mother, Pauline Manuelito was the great-granddaughter of the great war chief Manuelito, who fought Kit Carson in the Navajo Wars (1869–63) and led his people in exile to the current Navajo Reservation. In recognition of his life, the Lakota Sioux adopted Blatchford and gave him the – the highest honor a Lakota warrior can receive. Blatchford died at the age of 81 on December 23, 2005. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.