Native American Indian heritage celebrated on Taji

Photo By Staff Sgt. Andrea Merritt | Soldiers from the 1st Sustainment Brigade enjoy authentic Native American dishes after the equal opportunity observance, Nov. 29, on Camp Taji. "The food is excellent," said Sgt. William Jones, an all-wheel vehicle mechanic with the 377th Combat Heavy Equipment Transport Company.  

TAJI, IRAQ

12.05.2007

Story by Sgt. Andrea Merritt 

316th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary)

By Pfc. Andrea Merritt
1st Sustainment Brigade

CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Soldiers of the 1st Sustainment Brigade honored the Native American Indian heritage and their many contributions to U.S. Armed Forces in an equal opportunity observance, Nov. 29.

During the observance, attendees had a chance to view videos of famous Native Americans, listen to speeches from four Native American service members in the brigade, learn words from the Navajo, Lakota, and Cherokee languages, and eat authentic Native American dishes.

The event began with a reading of the 2007 Native American Indian Heritage Month presidential proclamation by Pfc. Rochelle Lee, a Navajo and Soldier of the 377th Combat Heavy Equipment Transport Company, 1103rd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 1st SB.

"Peoples of North America played a unique role in the shaping of our nation's history and culture," read Lee. "During this month, we celebrate their heritage and the contributions of American Indian and Alaska Native people to this nation."

In a speech that followed the proclamation, Lee, a New Mexico native, spoke humbly of her background and said, "I am proud to be a Navajo and a warrior for the United States Army."

After the proclamation was read, Master Sgt. Robert Beane, the non-commissioned officer in charge of the brigade's S4 section, spoke affectionately of his grandmother, who was from the Cayuga nation and member of the Bear Clan for more than 88 years.

"She reminded me as I grew older I was going to have to make numerous sacrifices while providing for my family, but my heritage should never be one of them," said Beane.

When one of the speakers introduced phrases from the Lakota language, a smile appeared across his face as the audience repeated after him.

"It's always nice to know someone is trying to learn and identify with the culture. It felt good, especially to see everyone smiling," said Sgt. Frank McGhee, the training NCO for the 15th Transportation Company who spoke at the event.

McGhee, who's Lakota name is Wasosi Isnana which means "goes to war alone," admitted he was hesitant about speaking at the event at first.

"In my culture it is bad to speak about yourself, but as I was helping put things together, I saw there was no one to represent my tribe so I helped out," said McGhee.

At the end of the observance, Soldiers who attended enjoyed some Native American food.

"I thought everything was well organized. You can tell they put a lot of thought into it," said Sgt. William Jones, an all-wheel vehicle mechanic with the 377th CHC. "The food is excellent and I liked the videos and the music they put to it."

• Date Taken: 12.05.2007
• Date Posted: 12.05.2007 16:37
• Story ID: 14454
• Location: TAJI, IQ