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JUNE 15, 2003
JUNE 15, 2003
Smoke Signals
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emorial Dedication Caps Years of Planning and Fund Raising
Fly By An Air Force F-1 5E Eagle streaks low over the West Valley Veterans' Memorial dedication on Saturday, May 31 in Grand Ronde. Several hundred people gathered to honor
the sacrifices made by area Veterans and to celebrate the unveiling of the memorial. The unique and visually stunning memorial is the culmination of years of local participation
and fundraising. '''''
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Shiny Several Veteran's groups, including members of the Oregon Veteran's Motor
cycle Association, made the trip to Grand Ronde for the West Valley Veterans' Memorial
dedication.
Memorial continued from front
Norwest is an Army Veteran of the
Korean. War, Chairman of the Vet
erans' Memorial Ad Hoc Committee
and served as the emcee for the
dedication.
As many as 1,200 guests came
from near and at least as far as
Deming (near Bellingham), Wash
ington, including Gordon (Lummi)
and Sadie (Colville) Kelly. Gordon
was a Marine in the Korean War
and is a member of his local Ameri
can Legion post.
Sharon Jantz of Salem attended
with husband David, who was a
bass drummer with the Oregon Na-
page
tional Defense Pipe Band.
Flags surrounding the Memorial
including
Tribal member Bekki Youso sang
the Lord's Prayer and the National
Anthem.
"The blood runs the
same color."
-Former Tribal Chairwoman
Kathryn Harrison
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Proud Local Veteran August "Gus"
Smoorenburg stands at attention during
the ceremony. Smoorenburg fought with
the Dutch resistance in WWII, rescuing
several downed American fliers in the pro
cess. :
the U.S. flag,
the Grand
Ronde Tribal
flag, the
POW-MIA
flag and the
Oregon flag
started at
half staff be
fore a
hushed and waiting crowd. They
honored, in Norwest's words, "all
Vets of the past, today and the fu
ture. There are a lot of little guys
running around."
They also honored Lori Piestewa,
the only Native American killed in
the recent Iraq War, as well as fire
men and policemen across the coun
try, who are also called on to give
up their lives in defense their coun
try. The Eagle Beak Drummers per
formed. The Bellingham, Wash
ington Color Guard came forward.
A Tribal Color Guard came forward.
Two Air Force jets flew over.
Army Chaplin Bud Abbot of
Willamina, a member of the North
west Indian Veterans Association
(NIVA) and the American Legion,
provided the invocation. Sheridan
resident Bob Thornberg played
Taps. Willamina and Sheridan
Vets from the local VFW, Am Vets
and American Legion posts offered
a 21-Gun Salute to the Fallen,
which included seven Vets firing
three times in unison.
Then, the flags were raised. The
Veterans Royalty came forward.
Veterans' Memorial Ad-Hoc Com
mittee members, workhorses in the
effort to raise the
nearly $450,000
needed for this project,
were honored.
Individual awards
also went to memorial
designer and Tribal
member Steve Bobb,
Sharon Norwest, and
Tribal Council mem
ber Val Grout. Bobb
served as a Marine in
Vietnam.
"I take a lot of pride
in seeing my name up
here," said Reyn Leno,
also a Marine in Viet
nam, "but I take a lot
more pride in being
among these other
names. We don't ask
a lot. We don't get a
lot, but I'd like to
thank the Veterans.
Freedom is alive and
doing well, and that's
what this memorial
means to me."
"Close to 500 of our
Tribal members have fought in U.S.
wars," said Norwest. "
According to a turn-of-the-cen-tury
report from the Department of
Defense, "As the 20th century comes
to a close, there are nearly 190,000
Native American military veter
ans." The report goes on to say, "It
is well recognized that, historically,
Native Americans have the high
est record of service per capita when
compared to other ethnic groups."
According to that same Defense
Department report, 12,000 served
in combat during World War I.
Forty-four thousand served in
World War II. Also during the Sec
ond World War, American Indians
invested more than $50 million in
war bonds, while 40,000 worked in
ordnance depots, factories and
other war industries. Thirty thou
sand American Indians served in
Korea and 42,000 served in Viet
nam. The Oregon National Defense
Force Pipe Band played.
"Our Tribe's are no different in
our beliefs and commitment to this
nation," said Tribal Council Secre
tary and Vietnam era Army Vet
eran June Sell-Sherer. "The hon-
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Steve Bobb
oring of our Veterans should be an
on-going endeavor."
"Women's roles have expanded (in
the military) from support to actual
front line service," she said. "Young,
capable women fly helicopters, com
mand truck convoys, and go into
harms way with capable young
men. They carry weapons and are
trained in combat.
"The mutual commitment of our
men and women is symbolized in
these statues," she said.
Tribal Council member Val
Grout, said, "When I first started
(on this project), I thought, 'What
a big task.' It took a long time but
it's well worth it. When they said
they wanted to honor the whole
community, it filled my heart with
so much joy." Grout's husband,
Pete Grout, a Korean War Army
Veteran, was not Native American.
Also for Tribal Council member
Valorie Sheker-Robertson, whose
father is not Native American, "It
makes me very happy that we are
part of the community."
"Someday, your family and your
descendents will speak of this day
and honor those who have shed
their blood around the world," said
former Tribal Chairwoman
Kathryn Harrison. "The blood
runs the same color."
In describing the four years it
took to complete the memorial,
Reyn Leno said, "the highlight was
when (Tribal members) Brent
(Merrill) and Steve (Bobb) did the
walk from Table Rock." Many now
know about their 14-day, 265-mile
commemorative walk from Table
Rock to the Grand Ronde Reserva
tion, which began February 23,
2002, "the same day (more than
140 years later) our ancestors were
forced" into that same walk, said
Merrill. The first time, however,
the Tribes' ancestors left behind
most of their possessions along with
their homelands.
"I told myself I wouldn't be emo
tional," said Merrill, Vice Chair of
Gifted Royalty Princess Ashley
Tuomi, the daughter of Veteran's Ron
and Brenda Tuomi, performs the Lord's
Prayer in sign language white Tribal
member Bekki Youso sings the National
Anthem at the dedication ceremony.
the Veterans' Memorial Ad Hoc
Committee, Director of Public Re
lations for the Tribe and Editor of
Smoke Signals. "Then Reyn (Leno)
came up here."
"We did it to raise money but also
to raise awareness and it worked,"
Merrill said.
The project really picked up steam
in the last two years as a result of
that walk and project design refine
ments by Tribal Engineer, Eric
Scott, and the Ad Hoc Committee.
Their efforts reduced the cost by
$100,000 or more. In addition, the
Spirit Mountain Community Fund
chipped in $175,000 toward the
Sf
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Tribal Council member Val Grout
cost of the project, and the Tribe in
cluded an additional $113,000 in its
Capital Improvements budget.
"Travis (Benoist of the Cheyenne
River Sioux Tribe) said to look for
hawks," said Merrill of the walk.
"Hawks are a good sign. We saw
15 in the first three days... I know
our ancestors were there."
"There is no greater honor than
speaking on behalf of Veterans," said
General Alexander Burgin of the
Oregon National Guard. "How much
do we owe those who made the ulti
mate sacrifice?" he asked, and quoted
an old poem in answer: "For your to
morrow, we gave our today."
"I've been told that I've been
given a gift from God," said Memo
rial designer Steve Bobb. "With
that gift comes an obligation to
share it.
"Those of us who have worn the
uniform, we forever share a bond,"
said Bobb. "We see man's inhu
manity to man at its worst. The
ones we left behind wanted to come
home just as much as we did. I
wake up every morning with vi
sions of war. We need to remem
ber that free
dom is not
free."
He spoke
about the
community
that is in
Grand
Ronde. "I grew up in the 1950s
when every house held relatives or
friends." Invoking that feeling, he
said, "Tonight, when you are safe
in your homes, please remember
these men and women."
Congresswoman Hooley told a
story about a family: The father
went out hunting but did not re
turn. The youngest son asked,
'Where's my father?' The older
brothers went to find him and found
only a pile of bones. One put flesh
on the bones. Another put clothes
on the body. A third breathed life
back in, and together they returned
home. At home, the question of the
father's favorite came up. He said:
'My youngest son is my favorite be
cause he remembered me.'
"I am humbled by the names be
hind me," said singer and
songwriter Lee Greenwood. The
Los Angeles native has Cherokee
roots. "These people are the most
special of all."
Brought to Grand Ronde by a gift
from the Spirit Mountain Casino,
Greenwood sang his favorite, "God
Bless the U.S.A." Spurred by popu
lar demand, he sang it again.
Tribal member Kevin Simmons,
recipient of the Mark O. Hatfield
Fellowship, is completing his intern
ship at the Congress of American
Indians in the nation's capital.
"When I saw the Veterans' Memo
rial," he said from his desk in Wash
ington, D.C., "that's the only time I
missed being home."
Area Veterans whose names are
not yet on the Memorial may con
tact the Memorial Staff at: West
Valley Veterans' Memorial, 9615
Grand Ronde Road, Box 50, Grand
Ronde, OR 97347.
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