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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (June 1, 2023)
10 JUNE 1, 2023 Smoke Signals There are over 150,000 Native American military veterans MEMORIAL DAY continued on from front page of our veterans,= she said. Leno also asked the crowd to ob- serve a moment of silence for late Tribal Elder Steve Bobb Sr., long- time event organizer and Vietnam War-era Marine Corps veteran who walked on in August 2022. He also designed the memorial, which fea- tures a man and woman dressed in traditional Native clothing standing side by side while reaching for the sky. Tribal members Anthony Quenelle and Jordan Mercier drummed and sang a memorial song. Photos by Michelle Alaimo The Grand Ronde Honor Guard posted the colors and Tribal Council Tribal members Anthony Quenelle, member Michael Cherry provided an left, and Jordan Mercier perform a invocation after welcoming people to memorial song during the Tribe9s the event. annual Memorial Day observance <I wanted to make sure to be here held at the West Valley Veterans to honor all of our veterans and Memorial on the Tribal campus on everyone who has served,= Cherry Monday, May 29. said. <We know that our ancestors are with us today. & It9s very FOR MORE OF THIS STORY VISIT special and I just want to say thank you for everyone being here today and taking the time to be in community.= Other Tribal Council mem- bers in attendance were Vice Chair We stop to honor and pay respects Chris Mercier, Denise Harvey, to those who gave their lives to the Brenda Tuomi, Secretary Michael service of this country, in the service Langley and Lisa Leno. Past Tribal of freedom, in the service of a more Council chair and Marine Corps peaceful world. We remember their veteran Reyn Leno also attended. sacrioce, their valor and their grace. After invocation, Tribal member For while we stand amid these beau- JC Rogers sang the national anthem tiful granite monuments, we must as she has for the past six events. never forget that each of the names After she sang, Grand Ronde and forever etched represents a precious Veterans Royalty members per- life: A son, daughter, father, mother, formed <The Lord9s Prayer.= spouse, brother, sister and a friend.= The keynote speakers were Ore- Taylor also acknowledged that gon Department of Veterans9 Affairs Native Americans have participated Tribal Veteran Coordinator Jon R. with distinction in the U.S. military Taylor and Army veteran Albert for more than 200 years. Moody. <Currently, there are over 150,000 <I am honored to serve and advo- Native American military veterans cate for Oregon9s Tribal members and it is well-recognized that histor- who served this country, and re- ically, Native Americans have the turned home to their families and highest record of service compared to communities,= Taylor said. <On any other group,= Taylor said. <The Memorial Day, it is a time to remem- service of these men and women has ber those who did not return home. been exemplioed by strength, honor Tribal Veterans Service Office 2023 Claim Appointment Schedule Monday Tuesday Thursday By scheduled By scheduled Walk-in claim appointment only appointment only appointments To schedule a claim appointment: call (503) 879-1484 or email CTGRTribalVSO@GrandRonde.Org Tribal Elder and Marine Corps veteran Alton Butler carries in the POW/MIA flag at the start of the Tribe9s annual Memorial Day observance held at the West Valley Veterans Memorial on the Tribal campus on Monday, May 29. and wisdom. These are the qualities we honor today, but we must never forget the true cost of war. The price is paid with the lives of our heroes.= Moody talked about the tradition of military service in his family. His father had a 32-year career in the Army. Moody served 22 years in the Army, but his brother never made it home from Vietnam. <I ended up graduating from R.A. Long High School in Longview, Washington, and joined the Army at 17,= he said. <I wanted to be a paratrooper and a medic.= After completing his training, Moody was shipped off to Vietnam, where he spent six months as a com- bat medic. Afterward, he transferred to military assistance command, where he worked with a medical team doing public relations work by providing health care for local villagers. Moody was about to retire when the orst Gulf War started in Janu- ary 1991. He continued his service, retiring later that year. <So, immediately after leaving the Army, I joined Doctors Without Borders,= he said. <I'm sure most of you have heard of them. We traveled all over the world providing medical support for certain individuals and certain countries. I went to Bosnia two times, to Columbia for earth- quake relief and to provide medical care. & That was my career, but it didn't stop there for me. I continue to volunteer. Veterans have this great responsibility to tell our stories, not just to each other, but to others.= After Moody and Taylor spoke, Molly Leno read aloud the names being added to the memorial. The four pillars at the West Valley Vet- erans Memorial feature the names of Tribal and community members from Grand Ronde, Willamina and Sheridan who served in the four ma- jor branches of the military 3 Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. The addition of eight names this year increased the number of those honored on all four pillars to 2,382. Two additional pillars are in prog- ress because the ones containing names of Army and Navy veterans are reaching capacity. Other names added included Grand Ronde Tribal member Jerald W. Tyler on the Navy pillar, Allan Halverson, Benjamin Lee Rogers and Ronney Lee Rogers on the Army pillar and Billy J. Rogers on the Marine Corps pillar. This was the 20th Memorial Day celebration held at the West Valley Veterans Memorial, which was dedicated in May 2003, because the 2020 event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. þ