J
I
ID
o
C
P
HI
a.
I
Q.
B0
4 DECEMBER 1, 2001
Smoke Signals
4 M M
IV-
1 ' J I
ft tl H V . .
A Salute World War II Veteran Bill Axtell salutes the American flag as it
passed by during the annual Veteran's Day Parade in McMinnville on Saturday,
November 10.
'. .
4,1 5
'- "ti .
si 'I V I i 1 J 1 1
A Wave Grand Ronde Veteran's Princesses Ali Holsclaw and Halona Butler
waved to the crowd during the parade.
L
J
V
i f v
.1. '
vfs 'fin ) .
4
I :j
V' 'A , Offerings - Young Native women
'm fy 'l the crowd at the Chemawa Veteran's
- M " Pow-wow on Saturday, November 10. Pris-
r oners of War and those Missing in Action
t are honored with a solo chair (right) that
5V(- i sat respectfully empty reserved for the
i4 warriors who died or were captured. This
y3r i' ; dancer and her child (far right) were part
y.:-4'"y ' of a troupe of Aztec dancers were attended
:p- v 1 ! J .- V the pow-wow after completing a journey
"v. - rrnm ourn Mmer ca.
si
,
v.. . k'
II:
i;4
1
I
0
.-.
.1 SVffr
- i, I
- iMiiiWfil'
' 1
4
ft
i, I
v 'fir
in
-v.
Benefits Fair
A benefits fair for the employ
ees of the Tribe was held Novem
ber 7 at the Governance Center.
Representatives from AFLAC,
Costco, MaPS Credit Union, U.S.
Bank, AT&T Wireless were all on
hand to educate the employees
on services available.
Award Winning Journalist Wants to Take on Hollywood Next
Tribal member Chris Mercier is content to write features for now, but the travel bug could bite at anytime.
By Justin Phillips
The man, the myth, the legend;
our very own Tribal member.
He is considered by the Native
American Journalist Association
(NAJA) among the best in the na
tion in writing for Tribal newsprint.
Tribal member Chris Mercier has
big-time talent when it comes to jour
nalism and is currently freelancing
as a feature writer for Smoke Signals.
Mercier won first place for Best
Feature Writing Twice a Month
at the NAJA conference this last
summer in Buffalo, NY.
His story that won was in the De
cember 15, 2000 issue of Smoke Sig
nals entitled; Gastric Bypass Surgery,
Even as a Last Resort it Can Change
Your Life. The story documents
Tribal member Shelley Hanson's jour
ney to a new life of health and fitness
after bariatric surgery.
Mercier is the son of Pat and Bryce
Mercier. He also has an older
brother, Bryan Mercier, who cur
rently lives in Madrid, Spain.
Mercier graduated from the Uni
versity of Oregon with a Bachelors
of Arts in Journalism.
This isn't the first time Mercier has
been with Smoke Signals. He worked
here the summer of 1996.
James Bond, Elvis, Clint Eastwood
and Bono from U2 are Mercier's idols.
"Anytime T.N.T. (television station)
has a James Bond marathon, I'm
there," said Mercier.
Mercier came dressed as Elvis
Presley on Halloween, admitting he
loves to "inspire the ladies."
"I love the King," said Mercier.
"I still think he is alive."
The talented writer is also an
avid traveler.
I'm not talking about across the
states; he travels to different countries.
Mercier has been to over 25 different
countries.
"I hated France," said Mercier.
When Mercier isn't working his
pencil, he is reading books.
"I love to read history," he said.
Mercier is still unsure about his 1
future and where it's going to take
him.
"I'd like to do more traveling in
the near future," said Mercier.
Whether he's reading, writing or
traveling, Mercier makes headlines
of his own.
"I hope one day to make it on sur
vivor or the Who Wants to be a Mil
lionaire show," said Mer
cier. "That's the way
I want to retire." - f
4
Worldly Grand Ronde Tribal member Chris Mercier poses for a photo shoot with his
award from the Native American Journalists Association for best feature story.
C 1 I $
O.