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O'siyo Brothers and Sister!
Veterans Day was November 11. Originally it was
Armistice Day in honor of the official end of World War I on November
11, 1918.
In Emporia, Kansas, on November 11, 1953, instead of an Armistice Day
program, there was a Veterans' Day observance. Ed Rees, of Emporia, was
so impressed that he introduced a bill into the House to change the name
to Veterans' Day. After this passed, Mr. Rees wrote to all state
governors and asked for their approval and cooperation in observing the
changed holiday. The name was changed to Veterans' Day by Act of
Congress on May 24, 1954.
American Indians have participated with distinction in United States
military actions for more than 200 years. Their courage, determination,
and fighting spirit were recognized by American military leaders as
early as the 18th century. - I think they [Indians] can be made of
excellent use, as scouts and light troops. --Gen. George Washington,
1778
I have heard of good things being done by The National Native American
Veterans Association. The web site is located at
http://www.nnava.org/
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The National Native American Veterans Association was founded in
Oklahoma, by Tom Berry. Tom had long wished for there to be one place
that Native American Veterans can turn to for information and
assistance.
Each veteran deserves representation which understands their unique
needs, and Native American Veterans have long been overlooked in this
regard. Tribal and local veterans organizations have long sought to fill
this void, but now for the first time a National Association is being
started, specifically for the Native American veteran! Spread the word
about NNAVA by downloading a flyer to post.
MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the National Native American Veterans Association is to
educate and assist Native American Veterans without regard to Tribal
Affiliation, degree of Indian Blood, branch of the Armed Forces, or
Combat Status with regard to Veteran Rights, Entitlements, and Benefits.
The National Native American Veterans Association will strive to assist
the families of Native American Veterans. Assistance will be given in
obtaining Veteran Rights, Entitlements, and Benefits without regard to
Tribal Affiliation, branch of the Armed Forces; degree of Indian Blood,
or Combat Status of the Veteran.
The National Native American Veterans Association will assist Tribal
Entities in the development of Veteran Groups within each Tribe if
desired, and provide a resource center for the Tribal Entities for
information on Veteran Rights, Entitlements, and Benefits which can be
used to augment current Tribal Programs.
Check this organization out for yourself. It may be something you want
to hook up with.
I wish to welcome home all other Indian Veterans and send my personal
"Thank you!" for your sacrifice.
Dohiyi Ani Oginalii
Gary Smith (*,*)
wotanging@bellsouth.net
P. O. Box 672168 (`-') gars@nanews.org
Marietta, GA 30006, U.S.A. ===w=w===
http://www.nanews.org
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"Our part of the story, the part where our
lands are invaded and stripped away from us, and the part where our
cultures are attacked, the part where our peoples' lives are trampled
and forever altered by this encroachment of land hungry invaders is
always conveniently neglected or overshadowed." -- Gerald Tieyah,
Comanche - speaking of the Oklahoma Centennial
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As
historian Patricia Nelson Limerick summarized in "The Legacy of
Conquest: The Unbroken Past of the American West...
"Set the blood quantum at one-quarter, hold to it as a rigid definition
of Indians, let intermarriage proceed as it had for centuries, and
eventually Indians will be defined out of existence. When that happens,
the federal government will be freed of its persistent 'Indian
problem.'"
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Once a language is lost, it is gone forever. Of the 300 original Native
languages in North America, only 175 exist today. * 125 of these are no
longer learned by children. * 55 are spoken by 1 to 6 elders; when they
die, their language will disappear. * Without action, only 20 languages
will survive the next 50 years. Source: Indigenous Language Institute
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