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A Publication of the Grand Ronde Tribe
www.grandronde.org
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Years Of Effort Lead To Memorial Dedication
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Cherokee Recording Artist Lee Greenwood
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General Alexander Burgin
Tribal Council Secretary
June Sell-Sherer
Tribal Vice Chairman Reyn Leno
Congresswoman Darlene Hooley
Tribal Elder Marce Norwest
Recording artist Lee Greenwood, Congresswoman Darlene Hooley and General Alexander Burgin joined
several Tribal speakers at landmark event.
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Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde
Community of Oregon
9615 Grand Ronde Road
Grand Ronde, Oregon 97347
PRESORTED
FIRST-CLASS MAIL
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
SALEM, OR
PERMIT NO. 178
1299 UNIUERSITY OF OREGON
EUGENE OR 97403-1205
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By Ron Karten
Call it a victory for life.
Memorial Day has long been a
time to remember those lost in
wars. The dedication of the West
Valley Veterans' Memorial spon
sored by the Confederated Tribes
of Grand Ronde went further.
At the heart of the Tribes' gover
nance campus on a beautiful,
sunny, breezy May Day, the hon
ored also came
from the ranks
of the living.
Tribal mem
ber Leslie Riggs
(see Smoke Sig
nals 10102)
drove up from
Eugene to see
his brother's
name engraved
on the marble monolith dedicated
to Army Veterans. Three other
monoliths were dedicated to mem
bers of the military's other
branches. Tribal member Lewis
Riggs IV is alive and well, today
serving a second tour at an undis
closed location in the Middle East.
He also served in Desert Storm.
The memorial honors Veterans
living and dead, men and women,
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Tribal members and the community
at large, leading Oregon Congress
women Darlene Hooley to call the
Tribe, "the most inclusive people I
have ever met."
There was no shortage of remem
brances as the three-hour dedica
tion of a four-year project came to
fruition. Tribal Vice Chairman
Reyn Leno, who described the his
tory of the
memorial
to the
crowd, re
called E when his
Uncle Russ
a! Leno said,
"Td like to
see this
before I die.' It got a laugh," said
Leno, "but it also was taken seri
ously." There was no shortage of tears ei
ther. "We all cry at times," said
Tribal member Marce Norwest.
"Sometimes, it's hard to talk but you
know when you do talk (and cry)
that it comes from the heart."
Memorial continued on page 8