Community honors veterans
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On a chilly, gray Veterans Day, a small ceremony at the Veterans Memorial in St. Ignatius carried a simple message for all those who have served in our country’s military: “Thank you.”
“It really makes my heart feel good to see all these people here in support of the veterans,” Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Chairman Bud Moran said.
The Flathead Reservation is home to many veterans, both tribal and non-tribal, he continued, and “we on the Tribal Council support totally all of our veterans.”
Native Americans have a long and extensive history of military service — more Indians per capita have served in the U.S. military than any other ethnic group — and the Flathead tribal community is no different. And like many other CSKT members, Moran lost a cousin, Chuck Charlo, who was killed in action in World War II, he said.
“We’ve had members of our community serve in every conflict and war,” Moran said.
Mission Valley Honor Guard member Gene Sorrell was one of those, and he shared a story about his return home after serving in Vietnam. A close friend of Sorrell’s was killed in action, and Sorrell felt a lot of “survivor’s guilt,” wondering why he lived and his friend died. But a tribal elder told him that the Great Spirit had more for Sorrell to do in this life, so he protected Sorrell and brought him home.
“That eased a lot of pain in my heart,” Sorrell said, adding that he hoped the elder’s words would ring true for other veterans, too.
Before the Mission Valley Honor Guard fired off a three-volley rifle salute and closed the ceremony with a bugler’s rendition of “Taps,” Honor Guard Commander J.C. Courville gave a brief history of Veterans Day. Veterans Day ceremonies are held at 11 a.m. on the 11th day of November, a tradition that began with the end of World War I as the Germans signed the armistice at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11, 1918. The holiday was known as Armistice Day until 1954, when President Dwight Eisenhower signed a bill making Armistice Day a day of honoring all military veterans, and Congress changed the name to Veterans Day.
Now, ceremonies across the nation on Nov. 11 honor everyone who’s fought for the United States.
“It’s something we must do; it’s something we’re honored to do, and they deserve no less,” Courville said.
