It seems that after World War II, America has a ton of military aircraft named after Native American tribes (Iroquois, Apache, Chickasaw, Sioux, Chinook, to name a few). Can anyone give a succinct explanation to why this is? Did some guy just decide that "these names sound cool"?
Aircraft Naming: Mission Design Series (MDS)
"The general policy of naming Army aircraft after Indians tribes, chiefs or terms was made official by authority of AR 70-28, dated 4 April 1969. Although this regulation has been recinded, the Indian names were very popular among Army personnel and the practice continues in place. The commanding general of the US Army Material Command has the responsibility of initiating action to select a popular name for aircraft. For this purpose he has a list of possible names obtained from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (for brevity the names usually consist of only one word). When a new aircraft reaches the production stage or immediately before it goes into production, the commanding general selects five possible names. He bases his selection on the way they sound, their history and their relationship to the mission of the aircraft. They must appeal to the imagination without sacrificing dignity and suggest an aggressive spirit and confidence in the capabilities of the aircraft. They also must suggest mobility, firepower and endurance."
The Native American naming was exclusively for helicopters IIRC.