For many of us, we wake up to a holiday and a day off, but we can't forget why we are getting that privilege! We coulda woke up under some Communist or Nazi regime and we sure wouldn't be enjoying any of the freedoms we have today and its because of those military veterans who did their part to make this country great and free.
For this reservation, we have veterans left and many young people serving now and we are thankful for them giving up their time to guarantee our freedoms and as a result: We can go to whatever church we want, pray if we want or not, bad-mouth politicians and by gosh, sometimes we can get away with that- It's called free speech. We can move around this great country as we please, but of course under certain financial restraints. Our kids can grow up free of persecution and oppression. We are the only ones who can do that to each other. We have freedoms to do whatever we want as long as it doesn't break the speed limit or offend some moral beast in people. We can drink and smoke as long as it doesn't get out of hand. They attach a few penalties to excesses these days. Well you get the picture.
Our reservation has also lost so many veterans. They were good friends, good people and a real loss to their families, religions, and our tribe. I miss them and think about them everyday and not just on Veteran's day. Some have died fairly young and that doesn't seem like much of a reward. I recently finished a Veterans booklet for the We te se and it will be available to veterans and I'm sure they will have a few extra copies for sale at the We te se Pow-Wow, November 20 in the big city of Holton.
As I wrote this or gathered material for this publication, I was struck with the personal suffering many of these veterans went through and the pain they endured because of their war experiences. Many around them couldn't understand their actions and like so many things in life,we aren't put here to judge others. I think that is reserved for only one person. I have a full appreciation for what they did for us and this country.
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