Bret R. Benally Thompson
Era: Global War on Terror
Military Branch: Army
A real thanks, with a history of respect As an Ojibwe veteran it has been my privilege and experience to have been honored many times by Indian people. Much of this has happened to me when attending pow-wows as a traditional dancer or while attending ceremonies where our veterans are honored.
Not every Indian vet has had these good experiences. I have been told by many that they have never been honored. Perhaps we as Ojibwe can do an even better job at recognizing our veterans but it is my feeling that as a people, we hold our veterans in high esteem. Since this has been my experience, I have tried to pass this on to other vets, both Indian and non-Indian.
Sometime in 1998 I was in a Duluth, Minnesota coffee shop with a friend. As we spoke I noticed a man with a Vietnam Veteran''s jacket sitting nearby. While trying to listen to my friend, I was watching this man and trying to think of all he had gone through as a vet. It didn''t matter to me what war he had been in, what his MOS had been, whether he had been in the mud or in the rear. He was a vet, and in being so his life had been shaped in some way by it. He had given himself, no matter what his reasons, when we as a country had called him to serve.
Perhaps that is part of the reason we honor our veterans as Indian people - we value generosity and individual sacrifice for the good of all people. So, at a break in the conversation with my friend, I walked over to this man, this veteran, tapped him on the shoulder and offered him my hand. As we shook hands I said what so many other men and women have said to me, "Welcome home and thank you for your service."
Though I was too young to have endured military service during Vietnam I know well how healing those words from a stranger can be. When this man and I met on this project some months later I was pleased to see that those words had touched him.
I hoped that I was not the only stranger who had shook his hand and said thank you. The new Veterans Memorial Hall that was dedicated on Veterans Day, 11 Nov ''99, at the Duluth Depot. Veterans Memorial Hall is a way for us to teach our children that no matter the politics of the time, we should honor those who have served.
At the entrance these words will greet you as a reminder of the generosity and sacrifice so many American men and women have given for you, "WELCOME HOME. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE." Yes, miigwech (thank you).
