He received the United States military's highest decoration for bravery, the Medal of Honor, for his actions during the Indian Wars.

He joined the Indian Scouts at Camp Verde December 2, 1872 and served under General George Crook in actions against an uprising of the Chiricahua Apache in the winter of 1872–1873, holding the rank of Sergeant.

[1] Crook's aide (and fellow Medal of Honor recipient) John G. Bourke described Alchesay as "a perfect Adonis in figure, a mass of muscle and sinew of wonderful courage, great sagacity, and as faithful as an Irish hound."

As the leader of the Tribe, Alchesay sought better conditions for his people, and in 1887 traveled to Washington D.C. to speak to President Grover Cleveland.

The military left Fort Apache, and in 1923, the Theodore Roosevelt Indian Boarding School was built for Navajo children.

He filed for an Indian Wars pension under the name William Alchesay and resigned from active chieftainship in 1925.