Veterans

I heard some good words today and I thought I would pass them on. Now a lot of times I post some pretty synical stuff that is centered around my own opinion. I admit it and I feel it's safe because you really have to try hard to get peoples attention these days! Sometime the trend is to be flagrant about the normal every day things and spice them up a bit with some creative narratives about how Sinister everything is. Once again I admit that a lot of it is fanfare to make things seem more interesting then they really are, but sometimes you don't need to make a big deal about it because it is good enough.

What I heard is good enough! The person said to Honor & Serve is a privilege that satisfies a person’s instinct to do good for others. I realized that is what I try to do when I write these Blogs. I try to take topics people most likely wouldn't discuss on their own and make the information familiar by bringing it to them. The Idea is that it will be easy and convenient to read the same article somewhere else, but when you hear a story told by a familiar perspective your more likely to care about the content.

The content which formed my message today is not an Idea, but an example. The example of people living their lives in the role of service to others. Recently the passing of two close friends of the family made me think about the Honor to Serve. In life we need people to Trust and Follow. Familiar  faces to give us direction in our time of need. I can honestly say that both of these special human beings did just that for me personally.

As you know or maybe you don't, the passing of a Leader of the Yakama Nation General Council brought together a lot of people to pay their respects and offer condolences to the family. In passing such as these, we reflect on the positive impacts this person had in our lives. I did just that with a memory of my Rodeo Days.

As a young man and pre-teen all the way into adolescence, I have attended Rodeos and been in the presence of Cowboys. You might say, "Gee, who hasn't?" and I would understand because to grow up in the Northwest without Horses & Cows is pretty rare. The part of being in the presence of Cowboys that is important is their Attitude!

Attitude that say's "Get up, Dust yourself off and get back on the Horse!" is pretty much a way of life for many people, particularly the ones I know. People who never made a big deal about the mistakes you made, but were more interested in seeing you succeed. This is the kind of man I saw leaving us and felt it will be real hard to find a worthy replacement because he was a one of a kind.

Likewise, I attended a funeral service that had all the same connotations and aspirations. The Lady worked in a role of service not only to the public or to our own government entity, but to her family as well. It is this kind loss that is the hardest when you see how much somebody meant to everybody and not only to you personally. The words of encouragement were also shared that "Although, it is the end of an Era, a new will begin."

It is this Idea that I have settled on for an understanding today. The Honor to Serve others and be of use to your family, the public and most of all yourself. This is what I celebrate on Veterans Day, plus the Respect of Honoring those who have done this in the Military. Those that have given the greatest sacrifice of all, their life so that we may enjoy the freedoms and the way of life we live. I salute you and take off my hat and bow my head in prayer for blessing our military men & women.

On a lighter note, I believe it is the Discipline of putting another persons safety before your own that builds the Strong Character we see in these people. It is the concept that we see missing in our modern time from the decisions affecting us all. God, Nation and Unity are the code of the Honorable! They understand the strength, power and most of all the courage that prevails from this order.

I can't recall a more outstanding example of Respect than a Soldier in his or her Uniform. They not only wear it with pride, but they behave in a way that makes any observer understand it is discipline of sacrifice. Going without sleep or food & water is the condition they find themselves in. Carrying loads of equipment for long distances and exercising endurance in unsuitable conditions. When you review the history of our people, you understand these are the same conditions they lived. We refer to our Elders as Warriors and even today I give this title to those that lead us. It is their sacrifice and steadfast encouragement that we must go on. Truth, Honor and Respect the lessons we must continue to teach our children and our children's children.

"I pledge Allegiance to the Flag," doesn't just mean the American Flag or any other Flag on Display. In Ceremonies, it's not a flag at all, but an Eagle Feather. Just like the Soldier who holds this idea close to his heart, the Indian Warrior knows and understands the battle he endures with his enemy. Today our people battle with alcohol & drug abuse, poverty and racism. Our Warriors fight for Treaties and Protect the Land. Our soldiers are in as much a battle of spirit, as they are protecting the rights of the people because at every turn bigots question their integrity. Courts are the latest battlefield for sovereign entitlements and contracts with the government. Self Determination is our War Cry & Freedom to pursue our Traditional Way of Life.

All across the world the fight is the same, for people to practice religion & customs of their ancestors. The need for peaceful solutions has been exhausted and fights to be acknowledged as true servants of God has plagued the Earth. What has been done to Indians is now the policy world wide, "Divide & Conquer!" This new era is upon us and if we do not sound our battle cry, we will be silenced until we are to be heard no more. We must learn the language of Education, Legal Terms and Government if we want to exist. We must protect ourselves with Growth of our own Economic power to be self-sustained and plentiful.

The Battle for equality will go on, but today we acknowledge the Rider Less Horse. The Loved One that did not return and the Boots, Helmet and Rifle propped up in their place. We pause for a moment of silence and sing our National Anthem for the Soldier knows: United We Stand, Divided We Fall, God Bless the United States of America!