JULY 1, 2004
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Float Wave Stephanie Duran (left), Grand Ronde Senior Veterans Queen and
Miranda Provost, Grand Ronde Junior Veterans' Queen wave to spectators from the
Spirit Mountain Casino float.
Photos by Peta Tinda
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Royalty Court Grand Ronde Tribal Royalty Princesses Kayla Kneeland,
Geft) Tenisha Rios (right) and Kiana Leno (bottom) rode the Spirit Mountain Casino
float and waved to the thousands of parade-goers. A 96-foot long alligator
(below) sponsored by Reser 's Fine Foods was part of the parade. The float
featured snapping jaws and blinking eyelids.
A Blend of Cultures The Tribe's float in this year's Grand Floral Parade,
which is part of the City of Portland's Annual Rose Festival, passes in front of a
famous Portland landmark "The Chinatown Gate" on Burnside. Many cultures
were represented during the parade. The Grand Ronde float features a family
dressed in traditional reed clothing and basket hats as they gather items from
their cedar canoe.
Mom Of Deceased Veteran Seeks Right To Sue
Mercier continued
from front page
mine whether those in charge of
the Osprey program had in fact
been negligent. In 1950, however,
a federal court decision exempted
from the 1946 Federal Tort Claims
Act all civil law suits against the
military. For more than 50 years,
military malfeasance has been
untouchable in civilian courts.
"My son was a Marine," said
Mercier. "His dad was a Marine.
He loved the Marines. I want
them to know that we love the
armed services, but at the same
time, there are people in the armed
services that abused the privilege
and right now, the families that
suffered can't do anything about
it."
Following 2003 services for
Santos at Willamette National
Cemetery, Mercier broke down in
sadness and frustration, and took
to the Internet to see what she
could learn. She found Veterans
Equal Rights Protection Advocacy,
Inc. (VERPA) www.verpa.org.
VERPA was formed by former
Navy First Class Petty Officer Jef
frey A. Trueman, who likewise felt
abused by the service following his ef
forts to expose through the ranks of
command "issues of pay and training
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Remembering Keoki Chris Mercier
takes a sad moment looking over the original
news stories of her son's death in the crash of
an experimental aircraft called the Osprey.
fraud."
"The Justice Department," he said,
"is using taxpayer money to cover up
rather than (prosecute) crimes
committed by federal employees
against Americans serving."
VERPA legislation to overturn
the 1950 court decision now sits
on the desk of Pennsylvania
Senator Arlen Specter, but has
not yet been introduced. The last
two Congresses have seen scaled
down bills introduced that would
have allowed civil lawsuits in
cases of military medical mal
practice, and while each passed
in the House, they failed in the
Senate, said Trueman.
The office of Oregon Congress
man David Wu had not re
turned calls for comment at
press time.
According to a VERPA peti
tion to abolish the 54-year-old
doctrine, "Congress has failed to
act resulting in the following in
dividual and systemic abuses
arising in the DOD (Depart
ment of Defense) and military
to go unremedied, to include,
but not limited to: (1) Murders,
(2), Rapes, (3) human experi
mentation in violation of the
Nuremberg Code (Atomic Testing,
LSD, Anthrax, other FDA unap
proved inoculations), (4) Agent Or
ange and Gulf War Syndrome ex
posures and failure to treat, (5)
Abuse of Power and Gross Negli
gent Acts, (6) Undue Command
Influence, (7) Abuse and Double
Standards under the Uniform Code
of Military Justice (UCMJ), (7) Fal
sification of Official Documents, (8)
Abuse of the military's mental
health system (9) service-connected
mental or physical injury or injus
tice." "When I think of how the major
ity of people in the world are ap
palled by the abuse suffered by the
prisoners in Iraq at the hands of
our military, and the outcry that
has moved the U.S. military to talk
of compensation for the victims,"
said Mercier in printed statement,
"I ask why the people of America
are unable to see the parallels with
the abuse suffered by our own ser
vice men and women and act simi
larly to protect them in the same
way."
"We just need our right to be
heard," said Trueman, "and I think
the public will be outraged when
they learn about this."