Veteran's Day

My family has always had men who defended our country, from far back during the Minnesota Uprising when my great-great grandfather, George Duwanna Red Owl, was accused of helping massacre settlers in Minnesota who had decided to settle on Indian land, to my little brother, Richard, who served as a U.S. Marine from the beginning of the Gulf War until he was discharged in 1995. My great grandfather, Moses, served in World War I, before he was even a U.S. citizen. My grandfather William and my grandfather Adam both served in World War II. My step-father, Cleve, served in Korea. My father, Alvin C.P. Bordeaux, served in Germany during Vietnam. My son Grey is only 13, but he talks about going to the Marines when he's out of high school.

 In these hundred and some years of military service in our family we have not felt the loss of a soldier in battle or while defending our country, and so Veteran's Day is a time to honor the service they gave while being relieved there was no "ultimate sacrifice" for our family.

As a Native American it is a time of being thankful our land still exists and that the men in our family have defended it for so many years.

I have friends and students who have also served this country and defended the flag of the United States, despite that they cannot find jobs, they struggle with depression and anger and substance abuse. I am thankful for their service and hopeful they can find the help they need, that they can find pride in what they have done for this land, and that they find peace in the coming year. Pilaunya pe ksto. Thank you from all of us.