Army Sgt. John Rice’s grave at Arlington National Cemetery. Rice was a Winnebago Indian and WWII vet killed during the Korean War. After the gravesite ceremony, officials of the private cemetery in Sioux City, Iowa, refused to bury Rice when they learned he was not white. His casket was above the open grave and the family had left the cemetery when the decision was made. The incident triggered a national uproar. President Truman intervened and offered Rice’s family a spot at Arlington, where he was buried with full military honors in Sept. 1951.