November 6, 2 0 0 8
Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon
Page 8
Heath earns Bronze Star for assault on position
'
(Note: Thefollowing article first
appeared in the August 2, 1968
edition of The Oregonian newspa
per. The article is reprinted here at
the request of Faye Waheneka in
honor of all veterans on Veterans
Day.)
August 2,1968 — A two-man
assault on an unprotected North
Vietnamese hill position west of
Tam Ky, resulting in 46 enemy
casualties, has brought a Bronze
Star citation, with a “V ” for
valor, to a Warm Springs Indian.
Spec. 4 Kirby G. Heath of
Company A, 1st Battalion, 6th
Infantry, teamed with Sgt. Rich
ard C. Derrick o f Haddison,
Vt., for the heroic action May
14.
H ealth received a Purple
Heart when slightly wounded by
shrapnel in April during a mor
tar attack.
“The company was held up
on a narrow ridge,” Heath said,
relating the experience recendy
to Portland photographer A1
Jessen. “We were under pretty
heavy fire from the hill.”
Heath and Derrick crossed
a deep ravine under fire, even
tually reaching the cover o f a
large rock at the top o f a steep
cliff, which the North Vietnam
ese obviously didn’t expect
would be climbed. Consequently,
the two men were able to hit the
enemy’s exposed, blind side.
“Heath would rush each po
sition as I covered him with fire,”
said Derrick, who was hit just
as the two reached the rock.
“When they popped up to fire,
‘Chief’ would spot their hole and
lob a grenade in,” Derrick said.
Heath, a grenadier in the com
pany, was nicknamed “Chief”
by his fellow soldiers— an obvi
ous reference to his Indian heri
tage.
The assault on the N orth
Vietnamese flank took the pres
sure off the rest o f Company
A, and the enemy finally evacu
ated the hill, leaving 46 dead.
The citation to be received
by Heath gave a detailed account
of the incident.
Questions and answers
about diabetes and the feet
Veterans Day activities in Warm Springs
The following is the sched
ule o f Veterans Day activi
ties in Warm Springs on Tues
day, Nov. 11:
10 a.m.: Memorial Ser
vices at Veterans Stone with
seven gun salute, flag cer
emony and taps.
10:30: Parade.
“T he N o rth V ietnam ese
regulars occupied well fortified
pqsitions on the ridgeline and
were well armed,” the citation
report said.
It reported that the North
Vietnamese opened fire with
small arms, automatic weapons,
heavy machine guns, rockets
and 60 mm mortars.
“In spite o f the intense fire,”
the report said, “Specialist Heath
continued up the hill, repeatedly
exposing himself to the hostile
fire while charging an enemy
bunker.
“As H eath closed on the
11 a.m.: Posting of Colors
at Agency Longhouse and
blessing.
11:15: Veterans Ceremo
nial Services with reading of
Roll o f H o n o r o f W arm
Springs Veterans.
12 noon: Washat Services.
4 p.m.: Retire colors.
By Dr. Marilyn Waller-
Niewold
Health and Wellness Center
Podiatry Department
North Vietnamese position, he
was firing rapidly from the hip,
laying down his own protective
base o f fire.
“When he reached the enemy
bunker,” the citation reported,
“Heath destroyed it with hand
grenades, killing all the enemy
inside.
“Specialist Heath’s personal
bravery and devotion to duty are
in keeping with the highest tra
ditions of the military service
and reflect great credit upon
himself, the American Division,
and the United States Army,” the
citation said.
Victims of Crime hosts training seminar
B y Leslie M itts
Spilyay Tymoo
VJNFEDERATED TRICES OF W A1
As part o f Domestic Vio
lence Awareness Month, staff
at Victims o f Crime Services
hosted a training session on do
mestic violence issues recently.
Tribal judge Glendon Smith,
employees from CPS and the
FBI, and Tribal Council mem
ber Wilson Wewa joined VOCS
staff for the training that was
attended by over 30 people.
O th er organizations th at
work with VOCS from Madras,
Redmond and Bend also at
tended the training.
Dianne Harrold travelled to
Warm Springs to conduct part
o f the training as part of her
job with the Unified Solutions
Tribal Community D evelop
ment Group.
The group receives a grant
from the U.S. Departm ent of
Justice and monitors and trains
30 tribal victim g ran t p ro
grams— one of which is Warm
Springs Victims of Crime Ser
vices. According to Harrold,
“Throughout the year we pro
vide technical assistance— assist
them with their budgets and
various things, and we also pro
vide training.”
The group also hosts a con
ference each year during the
spring. From May through No-
IM A G IN E
VIOLENCE E tlE B
A £ ^ y i£ T 1 M S OF CRIME ¿E R W C £$ JU
The theme of Domestic Violence Awareness Month was
expressed on the banner by the VOCS office.
One session dealt with
federal firearms laws.
Stalking was the
subject o f another
training and was
conducted by a detective
from the Seattle Police
Department.
vem ber, how ever, program
managers with the group travel
to conduct training along with
several consultants that assist in
training.
Because the training took
place during Domestic Violence
Awareness Month, Harrold said,
there was an underlying domes
tic violence theme throughout
the training itself.
One session dealt with fed
eral firearms laws and was con
ducted by Assistant U.S. Attor
ney Bill Williams. Stalking was
the subject of another training
and was conducted by a detec
tive from the Seattle Police De
partment.
O ther sessions dealt with
safety planning which Harrold
said is also a domestic violence
issue.
“There are precautions you
can take to make sure that the
victims stay safe until the per
p etrato r is caught,” she ex
plained.
Harrold taught two sessions:
one about team debriefing in
critical incidents (like a school
shooting or an incident that af
fects many) as well as a presen
tation about the effects of do
mestic violence in Native Ameri
can communities.
This is the second time in two
years that staff from the Uni
fied Solutions group has trav
elled to Warm Springs to con
d u ct training, according to
VOCS
D irec to r
M ark
Matthews.
Tribes become political force with donations
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)
— Oklahoma's American In
dian tribes have donated al
most $900,000 to local, state
and national candidates up
for election in 2008, ranging
from Barack O bam a to
Oklahom a County Sheriff
John Whetsel, records show.
In the last two years, they
donated another $1.16 mil
lion to state and national po
litical committees and politi
cal parties, The Oklahoman
reported in a copyright story.
Federal records show Okla
homa is second only to Cali
fornia in federal tribal con
tributions.
M ost donations come
from the Chickasaw Nation,
the Cherokee Nation and the
Choctaw Nation.
State tribes gave to more
Democrats running for state or
federal office in 2008 than to
Republicans. D em ocrats got
about $525,000 while GOP can
didates got about $340,000.
The Chickasaw Nation is the
biggest Oklahoma tribal donor.
That tribe's donations to 2008
candidates, plus its donations in
the last two years to political
committees and parties, totaled
more than $780,000.
The Cherokee Nation gave
more than $525,000, and the
Choctaw N ation gave m ore
than $500,000. The Osage Na
tion gave more than $110,000.
State tribes gave more than
$620,000 to candidates running
for the Oklahoma Legislature
this year.
Tribal leaders say they donate
to candidates who share or un
derstand their views.
Legal Aid Services of Oregon, which provides
free legal advice and representation to low-in-
come Oregonians, is in Warm Springs the first
“A working government-
to-govemment relationship is
integral to achieving our mis
sion o f enhancing the over
all quality o f life o f
Chickasaw people.... We sup
p ort candidates who have
similar policy views,” said
Chickasaw Nation Gov. Bill
Anoatubby.
Oklahoma's tribes gave to
Barack Obama's presidential
campaign and his victory
fund. Tribes also donated to
the failed presidential bids of
H illary
C linton,
Bill
Richardson and Joe Biden.
T he C herokee N atio n
gave $2,300 to Jo h n
McCain's presidential cam
paign but it was returned, a
tribal spokesm an said.
McCain has a policy of not
accepting tribal donations.
Monday of every month, from 1 to 4 p.m., at the
Family Resource Center, 1144 Warm Springs
Street. Or call (800) 678-6944, or (541) 385-6944.
VOCS Volunteer Delsa Jim
said she learned a lot about how
domestic violence victims might
suffer from p o st-trau m atic
stress disorder.
“It explained how the victims
go through a psychological— al
most a nervous breakdown be
cause o f how severe the actions
were,” she said. “It explained
to us how violence affects
people.”
Other events during Domes
tic Violence Awareness Month
As the leading cause of
non-traum atic lower-limb
am p u tatio n s, diabetes is
reaching epidemic propor
tions, now more than ever.
It can have a devastating
impact on the body, affect
ing numerous parts o f the
body including the eyes,
mouth and feet.
In fact, the feet, often
overlooked at routine check
ups, can reveal the first signs
and symptoms of the disease.
All too often, patients for
get to take off their shoes
and socks and ask their health
care providers to inspect
their feet.
Close to 24 million people
in the U.S. have diabetes and
nearly 6 million people have
it and do not even know it.
That’s why it’s important
to elect to save your feet
whether you have the disease
or not. Know the signs and
symptoms o f diabetes and
have your feet checked ev
ery time you visit the doctor.
Why should I take off
my shoes and socks when
I visit the doctor?
The feet, said to be mir
rors o f our general health,
can reveal diabetes warning
signs such as numbness, red
ness, swelling or non-healing
wounds. Taking off your and
socks at every doctor’s visit
is critical to the prevention
and treatm ent o f systemic
diseases such as diabetes.
People .with type 2 diabe
tes can do a great deal to
lower their chances o f get
ting the disease such as exer
cising regularly, reducing fat
and calorie intake and losing
weight.
What can happen if dia
betes is not detected in its
early stages?
Many people do not find
out they have the disease until
they develop serious compli
cations such as foot ulcers.
In fact, six million Americans
with diabetes have not been
diagnosed.
The good news is that dia
betes, although serious, can
be managed. However, if left
undiagnosed or untreated, it
can damage the body and
result in long-term complica
tions such as lower-limb am
putations, cardiovascular dis
ease, stroke, blindness and
kidney disorders.
I have been diagnosed
with diabetes. What type
o f foot com plications
could I possibly experi
ence?
You may experience the
following symptoms:
A loss of feeling, burning
or tingling in your feet.
A chance in skin, nails or
shape (such as curling toes)
o f your feet.
Foot ulcers or sores that
do not heal.
Keeping your blood glu
cose (sugar) in good control
and taking care o f your feet
every day can help you avoid
serious foot problems.
Should I see a podia
trist if I have diabetes?
Who is at risk for dia
betes?
Treating diabetes requires
a team approach. A podiatrist
in c lu d e d d o m e stic v io len ce'
W h ile m an y A m e ric a n s
is an in te g ra l p a r t o f th e
walks in various local commu
nities as well as a dinner. VOCS
also conducted a purple light
campaign where com munity
members replaced their porch
light with a black light to show
support.
are predisposed to have the
disease based on family his
tory. American Indians, His
panics, African Americans,
Asian Americans and Pacific
Islanders are more at risk.
treatm ent team.' Your pri
mary care doctor may refer
you to a dietician, nurse edu
cator, dentist, eye doctor and
an exercise physiologist to
help you manage the disease.
Everyone’s W dCl
Alter 25 Years in Business’!8 6
Oregon Distruibution Center Closes Its Doors
The entire inventory is being sold at public auction,
sold to the highest bidder regardless of loss or cost
Including saddles by: Billy Cook, SimCo, Big “W ”,
,/ Texas Saddlery, Saddle King, Outback, and More.
Yucca Flats Wool Blankets, Equi-Sport Saddle Pads,
Olympic Canvas Blankets, Weather Beata Blankets,
McPherson Blankets, McPherson Leather Goods,
Billy Cook Leather Goods, Bridles by: Silver
Royal, Billy Cook, McPherson. Plus lots and
lots of new & used one of a kind unique items!
This is a very complete inventory, the list
www.rockymountainsaddls.com
A u c tio n e e rs N ote: A fter 25 years in business,
The Saddle Shop Closes!! W e have been
hired to liquidate all rem aining inventory at
$ Public Aution. This is a O N C E -IN -A -L IF E T IM E
opportunity to buy this quality m erchandise at
Auction Prices.
¿t
YOU BID, YOU SET THE PRICE!!
Buy one piece or a Truckload
Terms of sale:CA$H, ALL MAJOR
CREDIT CARDS, ATM & DEBIT,
SORRY NO CHECKS