Siletz news /, June 01, 2009, Page 13, Image 13

TRIBAL MEMBER NEWS
Kraxberger Retires from Oregon Army National Guard
by Diane Rodriquez
Military Career Not
Initial Goal
Kraxberger didn’t start out to make a
career in the National Guard.
“I graduated from high school in June
of 1974. I had a full-time job as a file
clerk for an insurance company. But I also
liked to party. My mom must have known
that there was trouble ahead if I didn’t
straighten my life out,” she remembered.
Given a choice of college or the military,
Kraxberger chose the military.
“I went around and took tests for ev­
ery service, then laid low, ignoring phone
calls from various recruiters. One day in
late September 1974,1 came home from
work early. There sitting at the table with
my mom was a National Guardsman, who
was put on active duty to help recruit for
his unit. The paperwork was filled out and
the consent form was signed,” she said.
“On Monday morning I reported to the
Denise Kraxberger delivers the keynote
address at this year’s Memorial Day
Ceremony at the Paul Washington
Cemetery in Siletz.
local National Guard unit and swore in for
three years. I told my mom, okay but I’m
only staying for three years. I started out
not wanting to be in the military and ended
after 34 years never wanting to leave.”
Kraxberger started in the National
Guard as a report clerk. Through the next
several years, she moved up in both job
responsibility (in the personnel area) and
military rank. In September 2000, she be­
came the first female command sergeant
major in Oregon, which is the lead support
person to the battalion commander.
Service Includes One
Deployment
She completed a year-long deploy­
ment in May 2004 with the 641s' Medical
Evacuation Battalion.
“My battalion headquarters deployed
to Fort Bragg in April of 2003. We thought
Courtesy Photo
Command Sergeant Major
Denise Kraxberger retired from
the Oregon Army National
Guard in March following
more than 34 years of service
to her country.
In a ceremony held at the
Oregon Military Department
in Salem, Ore., Kraxberger re­
ceived numerous awards from
her superiors, the soldiers she
led, Gov. Ted Kulongoski and
the Confederated Tribes of
Siletz Indians, represented by
Tribal Chairman Delores Pigs­
ley and Tribal Council member
Robert Kentta.
“Along with her family,
friends and hundreds of others,
Robert Kentta and I attended
and bestowed upon her, on be­
half of the Siletz Tribe, a gift of
a Treaty blanket,” said Pigsley
in the April issue of Siletz News. “It was
indeed a proud and memorable occasion
for Robert and I.”
Konert Kentta and Delores Pigsley present Command Sergeant Major
Denise Kraxberger with a Tribal Treaty blanket at Kraxberger’s retirement
ceremony in March. She retired from the Oregon Army National Guard
after more than 34 years of service.
there was a possibility that we would swap
out with the regular Army battalion we
were covering down for, but we stayed
at Fort Bragg,” she said. “I did go to
Afghanistan in January 2003 to visit the
soldiers from one of the 641 “ units ( 1042
Medical Company) that were deployed.”
In addition to being the liaison to
the battalion commander, Kraxberger
also was responsible for making sure her
soldiers received the training they needed
and the recognition they deserved.
Battle Rapper’s Mom Had Musical Dreams Too
by Brent Merrill
Siletz Tribal member Tamra Russell has her hands full. She not only works full time at the Native American Youth Association’s
(NAYA) Family Center, but she also is the mother of World Champion Battle Rap Superstar Greg Poe and that keeps her hopping.
Russell, whose parents were Bernadine and Joseph Washington, works at NAYA as the association’s employment program
manager. Bernadine passed when Russell was only 9 years old. Russell’s grandmother was Mary Brown.
As a child she remembers visiting Siletz with her mom every summer and often on the weekends. After her mom passed away,
Russell and her brothers, Damon and Derek, were raised in Northwest Portland with their father and his wife. Russell shared that
Damon passed away in 2005.
Russell takes great pride in Poe’s accomplishments in music and in their relationship, which is strong. He looks out for her
and acknowledges her and she looks out for him and provides him with things like food and cell phones and love.
When we caught up with her, she shared that Poe was just getting home from being on tour for the last couple of weeks and
she had replenished his need for groceries and communication.
She said Greg is “huge” in Australia because of his defeat of a couple of rappers from Down Under. The word spread and now
his legend continues to grow and spread internationally.
Russell had dreams of her own before she set them aside to raise Poe and guide him through his life and career. She wanted to sing.
“When Greg was younger, probably 12 or 13 years old, he asked me if I regretted not pursuing my dream to become a singer
because I was so young when I had him,” remembered Russell, who was just shy of 18 when Poe was bom. “I told him ‘absolutely
not!’ I told him that we make choices in life and sometimes we don’t know where they may take us. I told him that I loved him very
much and that whatever dream he has I will support him fully. I am very proud of Greg and I know that his dreams will come true.”
She takes pride in knowing that her son is one of the best in the world at what he does, if not the best. She takes comfort in
knowing that her son has vowed to never give up on his dream - and he got that desire from her.
Upon returning from Ft. Bragg,
Kraxberger received some of the recogni­
tion she deserved. She was awarded the
Meritorious Service Medal and also the
Iron Mike Award from the 44th Medical
Command, Command Sergeant Major
William Franklin. CSM Franklin flew to
Oregon for the redeployment ceremony
specifically to award her the Iron Mike.
“He said he had never given this
award to a Leg (someone who doesn’t
parachute out of aircraft),” said Krax-
berger. “The plaque on the Iron Mike
statue reads ‘CSM Denise Kraxberger
May 2003 to April 2004. Thank you for
raising the standards for CSMs in the 44th
MEDCOM. Your leadership and profes­
sionalism stands alone. Airborne ... All
the way!”’
She completed her military career as
the commandant of the HQ 249 Regional
Training Institute. At her retirement cer­
emony, she was awarded the Legion of
Merit (one of the highest awards given
to military members) and the Oregon
Exceptional Service Medal.
Although Kraxberger has retired from
the military, she hasn’t completely left it
behind.
“I am working for the Regional Train­
ing Institute in Monmouth, Oregon, as the
quality assurance manager. 1 have week­
ends free now to spend more time with
my grandchildren,” she said. “Someday
maybe I’ll run for Tribal Council.”
June 2009
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Siletz News
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