::Native.Strength::

January 24, 2012

A Day of Honor For Last Remaining Navajo Code Talker

Filed under: News Alerts,veterans — Tags: , , , , , , , — ICTMN Staff @ 4:50 pm

On Monday, January 23, the last remaining Navajo Code Talker, Chester Nez celebrated his 91 birthday and in his honor, Albuquerque, New Mexico Mayor Richard Berry declared the day Navajo Code Talker Chester Nez Day.

Nez, who shared his stories in Code Talker: The First and Only Memoir by One of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WWII, was born in a time when your age was based on the seasons, making pinpointing his actual age tough. But in his book, Nez shares his birthdate as January 23, 1921.

The Code Talkers began in World War I, but made their name during World War II when the Navajo Code Talkers were established as a unit, that helped turn the tides of the war in the United States’ favor. Nez was one of the original 29 Navajo soldiers to make up the Navajo Code Talkers.

Read more @ Indian Country Today Media Network.comObama's State of the Union: 'Getting Stronger' - ICTMN.com.

February 27, 2012

A Marine Finds a Good Fit for His Life Goals in the Corps

Filed under: News Alerts,U.S. military,veterans — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — Konnie LeMay @ 5:00 pm

Not yet 30 years old, Michael McCabe has already served 11 years with the U.S. Marines, done three tours with the infantry in Iraq, and within a month, the young staff sergeant will become the platoon sergeant of about 50 Marines, likely to be deployed overseas.

The last two years, he has been on recruiting duty, mainly in the rural Iron Range mining area of northern Minnesota.

All this has taken the 29-year-old a far distance and through cultures far different than that of his childhood on his grandfather’s ranch in the high desert at Little Water, on the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico near Shiprock. But it hasn’t been a long distance from what he learned about himself working with his grandfather and about how he wants to live his life.

“I’ve always liked pushing myself,” McCabe said, who was a wide receiver and defensive end in high school football and a member of the wrestling team. “Through high school sports, I was very competitive. My parents definitely pushed me. My grandpa taught me everything from mechanical work to ranching to construction.”

As the eldest of five brothers, McCabe jokes that he got used to bossing people around “all the time,” so leading a platoon may come naturally.

A trim man with a winning smile and a love of motorcycles, McCabe joined the Marines just after high school. It’s been the perfect match with his abilities and goals, though he’s the first in his family to serve in the Marines.

“It’s something that I’ve always sought,” he said about the Marines’ tough expectations. “The challenging part is really what caught my eye. There’s no other place like it to gain the experience, to go see places.”

His career in the military did not surprise his family, though they did have trepidations about his three deployments to Iraq – 10 months each in 2003 and 2004 and 6 months in 2007.

“They were for it,” McCabe said. “It really was no surprise. They’re very supportive. They were scared at first.”

The conditions in Iraq changed from his first deployment in 2003 to his last in 2007. “Every time I went back, it was something different.”

Fighting was the most intense in 2003. “We’d have one calm day, and the next day we’d be in a firefight.” He also got to meet Iraqi people, who generally were friendly and glad of the U.S. military presence. “They were just happy to see us.”

McCabe has enjoyed his time as a recruiter in Minnesota, where he also met and married Kasey, a member of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. It has been quite a change, however, to be operating mainly alone, covering about a 200-mile-square territory. He has done recruiting in high schools, county fairs and on regional reservations, such as at Red Lake and Leech Lake.

In recruiting, McCabe tries to follow the example of the Marine who recruited him in New Mexico. “He was straight forward and honest, just got to the point. It worked with me, so it’s what I do.”

Commitment and loyalty are necessary in the Marines, and McCabe looks for that determination in potential recruits. “The Marine Corps definitely shows what your body and your mind really is capable of. The standards are set high so that you can push yourself and make yourself a better person. … That’s what we look for before we even put them in, to make sure that they’re committed.”

Besides preparing for his new assignment, which begins at the end of March at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, McCabe is working online toward a bachelor’s degree in history. “I love it,” he said of studying U.S. and world history, “especially tying it in with the Marine Corps history.”

Among that history, of course, are the famed Marine Navajo code talkers of World War II. One of the first 29 code talkers was a marine named William McCabe, though not a relative of his, the staff sergeant said.

McCabe is anxious for an assignment where he’ll once again work directly with other Marines and to return to the camaraderie he felt in his Iraq deployments and that confidence that your fellow Marines “definitely watch your back,” he said.

“Every Marine that I know of is proud that they are Marines. The Marine Corps definitely will show you who you are.”

Read more @ Indian Country Today Media Network.comMaker of 'Highway of Tears' Wins Oscar Nod for Pakistani Film - ICTMN.com.

October 3, 2012

Akwesasne Reservation Treated to Vietnam Veterans Traveling Memorial

Filed under: News Alerts,veterans — Tags: , , , , , , , , — Vincent Schilling @ 2:32 pm

This summer, the St. Regis Mohawk Akwesasne Reserve’s American Legion Post #1479 hosted “The Moving Wall,” a half-size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall located in Washington D.C. The Moving Wall, which has been traveling the country for more than 20 years, was created by Vietnam Veteran John Devitt who saw the need for Veterans that were not in the vicinity of Washington D.C. to pay their respects and reflect in their own towns.

American Legion Post #1479 Commander Todd Conner, a St. Regis Mohawk and Marine Gulf-war veteran, was excited that the Moving Wall was able to make a stop in Akwesasne.

“We got lucky,” said Conner. “We put in the application eight months ago and I expected about two years until it would be here. They called us and said, we have an opening in July, are you interested? I said yes, of course.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

Though he is optimistic Conner says meeting the costs associated with bringing the memorial to his area is a top priority. “We are doing a lot of fundraising right now; this is not a cheap endeavor. We need approximately $13,000.”

Conner also said he is appreciative that the memorial wall is coming on to Native land and will be honoring those Native veterans that gave the ultimate sacrifice.

“I think this is incredible. I am almost certain that we are the first American Legion located on Native land that is hosting the Memorial wall. A lot of our members are from the Vietnam era and they are not getting any younger. They have a lot of pride.”

“There are also service members from the Akwesasne area that are on the wall. These service members were just young guys and they stepped up to the plate. The families are stepping up and it is hitting close to home,” said Conner.

The Moving Wall will be arriving in Akwesasne on July 18 and will take about four hours to set up. The wall will remain at the American Legion #1479 grounds for 6 days and will be taken down on July 24th. On Saturday July 21st, the American Legion #1479 and tribal members will be hosting a grand opening tribute pow-wow style event with Native drummers, singers and dancers. Conner is also asking for volunteers and contributions to assist with costs associated to bring the wall to Akwesasne. The public is invited and welcome to attend.

Read more @ Indian Country Today Media Network.comElections 2012: Wrapping Up the Denver Debate – Big Bird, Budgets and Back to the States - ICTMN.com.

November 17, 2012

American Indian Veterans National Memorial Dedicated at the Heard in Phoenix

Filed under: News Alerts,Travel,veterans — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , — Lee Allen @ 5:30 pm

For Native Americans who wear, or wore, a military uniform, the consensus feeling is that every day should be Veterans Day.

That was the prevalent thought on November 14 at the Heard Museum in Phoenix where hundreds gathered for the opening ceremonies of the American Indian Veterans National Memorial.

“What we do here today is the beginning of a lifelong honoring of brave American Indian men and women who have answered the call to defend our nation,” acting museum chief executive officer Lee Peterson told the crowd.  “This memorial is the culmination of dreams and a willingness of many to take a vision and turn it into the concrete and bronze reality you see before you.”

The memorial consists of several sculptures by acclaimed Native artists Allan Houser (Chiricahua Apache, 1914-1994) and blind veteran Michael Naranjo (Santa Clara Pueblo).  Houser’s towering 10-foot-tall, 2,000 pound sculpture Unconquered II honors service and sacrifice spanning more than three centuries and is the last  piece he created.  Naranjo’s two smaller works (He’s My Brother and The Gift) accompany the larger sculpture.

“Since being blinded in Vietnam in 1968, I create my sculptures by touch,” Naranjo said, “and I invite people, especially children, to appreciate my indestructible artwork by touching it as well as viewing it.  Despite my situation, it was an honor to serve and I’m fortunate to have come home because so many did not.  All wounded warriors carry their scars, their badges of courage, and it’s great to be appreciated and thanked because it wasn’t an easy job.”

Michael Naranjo 615x922 American Indian Veterans National Memorial Dedicated at the Heard in Phoenix

Artist Michael Naranjo (Lee Allen/ARIZONA FREELANCE)

Surrounding these creative concepts are descriptive panels that begin with these words: “The story of American Indian Warriors begins before there was a United States of America and the Warrior Tradition continues rich and strong today.  Honoring Warrior leaders is also a tradition that is an integral part of the story.  In this spirit, Heard Museum joins with those who keep the honoring tradition and tell the stories of bravery and sacrifice.”

Another panel contains the poem Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep (penned 80 years ago) that has been set to music and translated into many languages, comforting many military families as it did at the memorial service for Army Specialist Lori Piestewa, the first Native American woman to die in combat on foreign soil.

“It’s a great day to be a veteran and to those of you who have worn the uniform, thank you for your service,” said retired Army Colonel Joey Strickland, Choctaw, Director of the Arizona Department of Veterans Services and Master of Ceremonies for the memorial introduction ceremony.  “This memorial is long overdue.  Native Americans have always stepped up to the plate when needed and we’re blessed and thankful for that.  As the only Indian veterans services director in the U.S., the sacrifices my people have made for their country is never far from my mind.”

Department of Defense figures show that more than 22,000 enlisted service members and 1,300 officers on active duty are of American Indian heritage, making it the highest per-capita commitment of any ethnic population to defend the country.  While no war leaves its participants unscathed, the book American Indians and World War II notes: “This war, in which some 44,000 Native Americans served in the U.S. military, caused the greatest disruption of Indian life since the beginning of the reservation era because of its impact on the habits, views, and economic well-being of tribal members.”

One of those who defended his country is Medal of Honor recipient Lieutenant Michael Thornton, a retired Navy SEAL who spent four tours in Vietnam, one of only 15 U.S. Navy personnel to receive the Medal of Honor for heroic conduct during that conflict.  Interesting to note that between 1869-1890, 16 Medals of Honor were awarded to those of Native descent.  In World War II, that number was 5; in Korea, 4 medals were awarded, and three were presented in Vietnam.  Thornton is the only living recipient of Native descent to wear the prestigious medallion.

“I stand here with chill bumps,” he said, noting, “This medal I wear so proudly isn’t mine—it belongs to every man and woman who has ever served this nation.  You’re the true Americans.  When the call to arms has come, Native Americans have been the first to stand up, to act, to move forward, and the first to keep our country safe and free.”

Listening intently to Thornton’s words were other decorated veterans in the crowd including two Navajo Code Talkers, retired WWII Marine Corps vet Joe Kellwood (who led the Pledge of Allegiance) and fellow Code Talker Arthur Hubbard (who turns 101 in January).

The structure itself is impressive—120 feet of concrete walls (nearly 90 cubic yards of specially-colored bronze concrete) and up to 15 feet tall.   The memorial, designed by John Douglas Architects, was funded by a gift from TriWest Healthcare Alliance with construction services donated by Kitchell Contractors.

“We like short-term projects that are big in scope,” said David McIntyre, Jr., TriWest President and CEO of a company that provides healthcare for those who wear uniforms and their families.  “This segment of our population—those of Native descent—is special and provides a remarkable example of service to country.”

Jefferson Begay, Navajo, himself a Vietnam veteran, represented Kitchell Contractors (the only contractor in America with an exclusive Native American division) at the opening ceremony: “ There’s a certain irony here that even though we were here before everybody else, we weren’t officially recognized as citizens of our own country until years later.  I’m honored that our Native warriors are finally getting their own recognition.  This is our Mother Earth where our sacred rivers and mountains are and our warriors have defended this country even before they were acknowledged as citizens.”

Several Arizona tribes have already contributed to a fund that will support the continuing maintenance of the memorial.

code talkers heard 615x410 American Indian Veterans National Memorial Dedicated at the Heard in Phoenix

Navajo Code Talkers Joe Kellwood (left) and Arthur Hubbard (Lee Allen/ARIZONA FREELANCE)

Read more @ Indian Country Today Media Network.comCanada’s Only Urban Native Attraction Has a Vision - ICTMN.com.

April 6, 2012

Annual Bataan Memorial Death March Honors POW Survivors

Filed under: News Alerts,U.S. military,veterans — Tags: , , , , , , , — ICTMN Staff @ 1:30 pm

March 25 marked the 23rd annual Bataan Memorial Death March at the White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. The march has been an annual honor in remembrance of the soldiers who defended the islands of Luzon, Corregidor and the harbor defense ports of the Philippines during World War II according to the Bataan Memorial Death March website.

According to the march’s site, “On April 9, 1942, tens of thousands of American and Filipino soldiers were surrendered to Japanese forces. The Americans were Army, Army Air Corps, Navy and Marines. Among those seized were members of the 200th Coast Artillery, New Mexico National Guard. They were marched for days in the scorching heat through the Philippine jungles. Thousands died. Those who survived faced the hardships of a prisoner of war camp. Others were wounded or killed when unmarked enemy ships transporting prisoners of war to Japan were sunk by U.S. air and naval forces.”

The Army ROTC at New Mexico State University has memorialized these brave soldiers every year with the march that started in 1989, in 1992 the ROTC was joined by White Sands Missile Range and the New Mexico National Guard as sponsors.

Participants are able to choose between two routes, a 26.2-mile route or a 14-mile route. The larger route is the length the soldiers endured. For the past three years Keres Consulting, Inc. a federal and tribal consulting firm owned by Timothy Chavez, a Pueblo of Acoma member, has joined in the march. Staff members march in honor of fellow Pueblo of Acoma member and Bataan Death March survivor, Sam Antonio according to a press release by Keres.

Chavez who felt honored marching on behalf of Antonio reflected on the veteran’s stories.

“It was a unique privilege to thank Mr. Antonio in our Native language for his service to our country,” Chavez, Keres president and CEO, said in the release. “His stories enriched us with immense gratitude and patriotism. It was an incredible honor to walk on his behalf for 26.2 grueling miles.”

Antonio had shared a story of delaying his capture by the Japanese forces in the Philippines by refusing to surrender and pirating a small canoe to hand paddle across to the Island of Corregidor according to the release.

For more information about the Bataan Memorial Death March, visit www.bataanmarch.com.

Read more @ Indian Country Today Media Network.comU.S. Coast Guard Sinks Japanese Tsunami Ghost Ship - ICTMN.com.

August 14, 2012

August 14: A Day to Honor the Navajo Code Talkers

Filed under: Navajo Nation,veterans — Tags: , , , , , , , — Anne Minard @ 1:22 pm

The Navajo Nation has planned a day of celebration and remembrance to honor Navajo soldiers who created a code the Japanese couldn’t crack in World War II, thereby helping the United States emerge victorious – the Navajo Code Talkers.

“Our Navajo Code Talkers have inspired an entire generation. For decades, boarding schools tried to silence our Native tongue. But when we found out our Diné language had defeated the Japanese, we rejoiced in happiness because we now had heroes who were our own. Our language is sacred, and used by heroes,” Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly said.

Erny Zah, spokesman for Shelly, said a packed agenda features ceremonies across the Navajo government headquarters in Window Rock, Arizona. The state’s governor, Jan Brewer, will attend a luncheon honoring the code talkers, which in itself underscores the importance of the occasion, Zah said.

“This is the first governor visit since June, when we had governor Gary Herbert from Utah here,” he said. “Before that, there hadn’t been any since I started back in November.”

In all, just over 400 Navajo soldiers were enlisted in the U.S. military, after a non-Navajo who was fluent in the language recognized that it had the potential to contribute to an unbreakable code.

According to the U.S. Marine Corps Code Talkers website, the Navajo soldiers – some as young as 15 – overcame initial skepticism by their commanding officers and “quickly gained a distinguished reputation for their remarkable abilities. In the field, they were not allowed to write any part of the code down as a reference. They became living codes, and even under harried battle conditions, had to rapidly recall every word with utmost precision or risk hundreds or thousands of lives.”

After their mission was declassified in the late 1960s, popular culture became enamored with the heroes. Code talkers were featured in hundreds of books, a handful of TV documentaries and “Windtalkers,” a 2002 movie starring Nicholas Cage.

Ronald Reagan proclaimed the first annual National Navajo Code Talkers Day on August 14, 1982.

The code talkers’ legacy is alive and well in Navajo country. Relics appear in several memorials across the reservation, including a Code Talkers Museum that opened in Tuba City, Arizona in 2007.

Many World War II veterans are in their 80s and 90s, and only about 70 code talkers are still living including the last of the original 29 Navajo Code Talkers Chester Nez. In the past year, Shelly has ordered flags at half-mast to honor six who passed. They included:

  • U.S. Marine Private First Class Jimmy Lee Benally, of Teec Nos Pos, Arizona
  • Sgt. Jimmie Begay, 1st Marine Division, 2nd Battalion, of Sawmill, Arizona
  • Code Talker Samuel Tso, 5th Marine Division, from the area near Many Farms, Arizona
  • Code Talker Frank Chee Willeto, 6th Marine Division, of Pueblo Pintado, New Mexico
  • Code Talker Reuben Curley, 2nd Marine Division, of Flagstaff, Arizona
  • Code Talker Keith M. Little, 6th Marine Division, of Crystal, New Mexico
  • Billy Crosby, Corporal from the 1st Separation Company, Marine Corps Battalion, of Chinle, Arizona
Read more @ Indian Country Today Media Network.comAnd the New Mountain Dew Flavor is ... Diabetes? - ICTMN.com.

March 28, 2012

Calvin Lay, Former Seneca President, Walks On

Filed under: Genealogy,News Alerts,Politics,veterans — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — ICTMN Staff @ 7:30 pm

Calvin E. Lay of the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation, World War II veteran and long-time member of Seneca Nation Politics died February 19, 2012 in the Gowanda Nursing Home, Gowanda, New York, following a short illness. He was 86.

According to Buffalo News, Lay was born in Red House, near Salamanca, New York; educated at the Thomas Indian School; and held various governmental positions with the Seneca Indian Nation throughout his life.

Lay served in the Army’s 102nd Infantry Division, seeing combat in France and Belgium. According to Observer Today, he was a member of Iroquois Post 1587, American Legion, and held posts as chaplain, treasurer and commander.

A member of the Deer Clan, Lay’s service within tribal government according to The Sun News included:

  • Seneca Nation marshal in 1952
  • Peacemaker in 1968, 1993 and 1997
  • Four terms on the Tribal Council in 1956, 1970, 1972 and 1980
  • Seneca Nation treasurer from 1974 to 1976
  • Seneca Nation president from 1976 to 1978 and again in 1984, when he ran as an independent and won, a historic event in Seneca Nation politics.

Lay also served on boards for the Seneca Nation Library, the Seneca Nation Iroquois Museum, and helped fund the Tri-County and Lake Shore hospitals according to The Sun News.

“Cal Lay was an honest and humble, dyed-in-the- wool servant of the Seneca Nation,” President Robert Odawi Porter said in Buffalo News. “The Seneca Nation is extremely grateful for Cal’s lifelong service and contributions to the Seneca Nation. We are also indebted to him for his courage and service in World War II. When we speak to our Seneca children of Seneca men and women who are good role models from which we can all learn, Cal Lay is among those exemplary citizens who was willing to go the extra mile, make sacrifices for his people and defend the best interests of the Seneca Nation. He will be sorely missed.”

Read more @ Indian Country Today Media Network.comMarty Two Bulls, 'Pow Wow Season' - ICTMN.com.

March 2, 2012

Cherokee Nation honors veterans at Tribal Council meeting

Filed under: Cherokee Nation,U.S. military,veterans — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , — ICTMN Staff @ 5:00 pm

At its recent Tribal Council meeting, the Cherokee Nation honored James James Carl Warrington, Lenzy Eugene Warrington, and Curtis G. Johnson with the Cherokee Medal of Patriotism.

Deputy Principal Chief S. Joe Crittenden presented the Native veterans with the medals.

James was born in Claremore, Oklahoma on November 3, 1924 and raised in Seminole County according to a Cherokee press release. He was drafted between his junior and senior years of high school and began his service in the Army on July 2, 1943. James received training in anti-aircraft and communications then was sent to Europe aboard the Queen Mary to serve with General George Patton’s 3rd Army on the front lines as a lineman and switchboard operator. James and his division fought in the Battle of the Bulge and helped liberate two concentration camps.

James was honorable discharged January 23, 1946 and was a recipient of the World War II Victory Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal, Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal, American Campaign Medal, European Campaign Medal with four bronze stars, Army of Occupation Medal, Combat Infantry Medal, Honorable Service Lapel Button, and Certificate of Merit Award.

He lives in Cromwell with his wife Cleo. The couple has three grown children.

His brother, Lenzy, was born on May 14, 1926, near Picher, Oklahoma. Drafted in 1944, Lenzy served during the first occupation of Japan as he had tours in the Pacific Theater, Guam, Saipan and Okinawa. Following his discharge in 1945, Lenzy returned to Oklahoma and went into business with his brother operating a Phillips 66 service station along Interstate 40 in Seminole County. He retired in 1990.

Lenzy eloped in October 16, 1951 with Edith Nash, the couple live in Cromwell and have two children, one granddaughter, three grandsons and one great-granddaughter.

Johnson was born October 8, 1942 in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma. He graduated high school in 1960 and attended Connors State College on a football scholarship. Following two years of college, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and trained as an in-flight refueling personnel. He was a specialist with the Strategic Air Command squadron and remembers some historic events in the 1960s when the squadron was put on alert out of Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho.

“We were airborne alerted during the Kennedy assassination. Also, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, we were on airborne alert,” Johnson said. “During the bombing of the Vietnam harbors, which escalated the Vietnam War, we were airborne alert then, too.”

Johnson was discharged after five years of service in 1967 leaving with the rank of staff sergeant. He continued his college courses earning a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Oklahoma, a master’s degree in education from Northeastern State University, and an administrative certification from Oklahoma State University. During his career in education, Johnson fielded many capacities like a teacher, coach and administrator in the Broken Arrow, Perkins-Tryon, Fort Gibson and Amarillo, Texas school districts. Johnson retired after 32 years in 2002.

Johnson spends his time working as a customer representative at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (going on five years) and the restoration of Roselawn, a house on the National Historic Register.

Johnson and his wife, Thrissa, will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this year. The couple have three daughters, and two grandchildren.

The Cherokee Nation honors Cherokee service men and women every month during its regular tribal council meetings.

Read more @ Indian Country Today Media Network.comUN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Asks Syrian Government to Allow Aid to Reach Those in Need - ICTMN.com.

November 22, 2011

Cherokee Nation Supervisors Recognized for Supporting Troops

Filed under: Cherokee Nation,Health & Wellness,News Alerts,veterans — Tags: , , , , , , , , — ICTMN Staff @ 8:42 pm

When time comes for guardsmen and reservists to take time off to fulfill their duties to the United States, it can be tough in some working atmospheres. It is for this reason that the Department of Defense recognizes supervisors and bosses who are will to accommodate these military employees.

Under the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve agency through the DoD, four members of the Cherokee Nation health care team in Tahlequah, Oklahoma were recognized recently. Bill Gillespie, ESGR area chair, presented Keven Charboneau and Drs. Charles Grim, Gloria Grim and Douglas Nolan with the ESGR Patriot Award for their efforts to accommodate their employees.

“It’s very important for employers to cooperate and assist their employees when they do get deployed,” said Gillespie. “It creates great feelings between the employer and the employee. When a guardsman or reservist knows he’s getting full support at home from family and employer, that’s one less worry that they have to contend with.”

“I am honored that the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve would recognize us like this,” said Charles Grim, director of Cherokee Nation Health Services. “The fact that almost 50 percent of our nation’s total force now is either Guard or Reserve members really requires employers to be supportive of their employees that are members of the Guard and Reserve because they’re going to have to serve more and more these days. We appreciate all of our employees that serve as Guard or Reserve members, and Cherokee Nation has always been a strong supporter of their veterans–active duty, Guard, Reserve, or retired.”

“What we do is we work with the other physicians to try and make sure we can provide coverage. It’s an important mission they’re doing for all of us, so we need to do our part to make sure they can help protect us all and our freedoms,” said Nolan, medical director at W.W. Hastings Hospital.

Charboneau, who works in W.W. Hastings’ medicine clinic, was nominated for the award by an employee he supervises, he said, “I’m very honored to receive something like this. It almost brings a tear to your eye,” said Charboneau.

Read more @ Indian Country Today Media Network.comAttawapiskat First Nation Wants Evacuation Over Severe Housing Conditions - ICTMN.com.

November 16, 2011

Cherokee Veterans Honored at Tribal Council Meeting

Filed under: Cherokee Nation,News Alerts,U.S. military,veterans — Tags: , , , , — ICTMN Staff @ 7:46 pm

The Cherokee Nation recently honored two of its members for carrying out the longstanding Cherokee military tradition at its November Tribal Council meeting.

Veteran Michael Greer, joined the Marines in March 1997 and had training that covered tactical, survival and avalanche rescue operations. He was a warehouseman whos duties took him around the Pacific, traveling to Japan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Thailand and Australia. Greer was born in Tahlequah Oklahoma on February 29, 1976 at W.W. Hastings Hospital to Marie Greer and Mike Jones.

“I went on a trip for six months, on a float,” said Greer. “That’s just amazing how the ocean is. I mean, it’ll be calm one minute, and maybe an hour later, there’s literally storms.”

During his active duty, Greer was awarded the Good Conduct Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, Sea Service Ribbon, Meritorious Mast, Certificate of Appreciation and Rifle Expert Badge. Since returning from duty his life has come full circle, as he currently works at W.W. Hastings Hospital and has two children with his wife, Natasha Ross.

The second veteran honored was Bennie Ross, an Army and Korean War veteran who was born December 28, 1930 in Welling, Oklahoma. He served in the 151st Engineer Combat Battalion for three years upon entering the military in 1951.

“I stayed in Korea 18 months. I was in charge of building roads,” said Ross. “It was a good job. It’s the coldest place I’ve ever been, though. It was 38 below zero.”

In December of 1954, Ross was honorably discharged as a corporal and returned to his wife, Ruth, and their two children. He and his family moved to Los Angeles as part of the Bureau of Indian Affairs Indian Relocation Program, where he eventually had six children. He worked for the Sealright Company for 38 years, upon retiring he and Ruth moved to Grandview, Oklahoma where they live today.

The Cherokee Nation honors its Native veteran members each month at its Tribal Council meetings.

Read more @ Indian Country Today Media Network.comCanadian Government Scrutinizes Every Move of Aboriginal Child Welfare Advocate - ICTMN.com.
Older Posts »
Blog powered by Wordpress