A Gift For Dad

My dad is one of those people that doesn’t really talk about his Army service or his time in Vietnam. Every once in a while I would catch a little bit in conversation but it has taken time to get a relatively complete picture. Because of this, he hasn’t every really been recognized for the sacrifices he made right out of high school. With that said, I have never heard him say that he regretted going into the military. On the contrary, it proved to be a means to obtain an education and it definitely squared him away going from a C student athlete in high school to an accelerated progression through his undergraduate and graduate work.

My dad has achieved a lot in his life but is never one to talk about his accomplishments. While there isn’t much that we can do about this (especially in regard to his professional career), there are some small steps that we have taken as a family in recent years to try and at least acknowledge his military service. This included having my dad at the lodge last year for Veteran’s Night. Not only was it nice to have him sitting in the lodge with me but it was great seeing him recognized alongside his brother and other veterans in attendance for their service in the armed forces. It was also nice seeing him recognized at the Family Reunion over the summer as well. 

However, my sister took it to the next level this year during her Thanksgiving trip down to Washington DC. While at The National Air and Space Museum she inquired as to the steps that needed to be taken to have our dad included in the Wall of Honor memorial which “recognizes those with a passion for flight.” It didn’t take long before I started receiving texts about our dad’s service. Not having my files in front of me, I answered them the best I could remember (I should have more information in the future once my dad gives me a copy of his DD-214 for the family archives). By the time December came around, my sister had pulled together a pretty comprehensive profile to be included in the database. We all worked together to give my dad this recognition, our gift to him this holiday season.

After all, with the Army not recognizing him to the level that I would have liked to see, it is our responsibility to see that my dad is honored for his service. There are still small steps that we can take to do this and hopefully he will, once again, join me at the lodge in the coming year. However, the best thing that I can do at the moment is to keep doing what I am right now, writing and sharing the present and past family history with all those interested. Of course, I am also still trying to rack my brain as to how we can top this year’s gift for dad because, at the moment, I have no idea.

What We Have Done And Have Yet To Do…

There is a certain amount of frenetic stress that enters into the picture as a stated meeting approaches and this month that was magnified by the fact that this was going to be our official district visitation. There was a lot of work that went into the meeting which I previously wrote about. Thankfully, everything was taken care of and by the time I got to the lodge the long list of tasks was completely crossed out (due in large part to the assistance that I got from a variety of brothers from the lodge).

Official visitations are an interesting night. There are a lot of different ceremonies and presentations that take place as well as recognition given to those individuals who have earned the honor to be noted in front of all the lodges from the district for their accomplishment. While in an odd turn of events there weren’t any brothers in attendance to be recognized for their long masonic service (we have a number of 25, 50, 60, and 65 year members this year as well as a 70 year member), many of the newer brethren were present.

This group included two brothers who have met the requirements for the Master Builder Award. Having received this honor myself, I know the great sense of accomplishment that comes with this recognition. It continues to be a great mark of achievement for the lodge that we, as the smallest lodge in the district by membership, have nearly twice as many Master Builder Award recipients than the rest of the district combined. This is a distinction that we continue to pursue thanks to the dedication of our new brothers.

However, the greatest honor of the evening was not one presented to an individual. Toward the end of the meeting, the District Deputy Grand Master addressed the lodge with plaque in hand. The efforts of this lodge were being recognized with the Grand Master’s Award. We are the first lodge in the district to receive this award and, again, it is because of the efforts of the lodge as a whole that this was even a possibility. We may be small but we are active, we are growing, and we are motivated to better ourselves, our lodge, and our fraternity.

With all the honors bestowed throughout the night it would be easy to sit back and enjoy what has been accomplished. However, we are already half way through the year and there is still a lot that needs to be done. We have accomplished a lot but, speaking for myself, I know we can do a lot better and I personally can do a lot more. The foundation is here and now is the time when we have to build. 

It’s Not Really Free

Every year I see the countless signs and receive numerous emails about all the discounts and “free” things for veterans. Unfortunately, I have seen the inevitable complaints of entitlement from people across numerous social media streams making delusional statements that they should be getting the “handouts”. What these people fail to realize, year after year, is that despite what the ads might say veterans are not getting anything for free. These people served and sacrificed for us and, if anything, they are still not getting enough from us.

Over the years I have gotten to know veterans of all ages, branches, and length of service. I come from a long line of men who have served in the armed forces and made an attempt to do so myself (no, I am not a veteran). In fact, many of those men whom I consider friends and family were part of the recognition ceremony at my lodge last week… there was a total of over 160 years of service that stood before us that night. All of these men, and all veterans that I have had the privilege to meet during my lifetime, have never asked for any recognition.

In recent years, there seems to be a “veterans day is good enough” mentality with regard to the recognition that is bestowed upon these men and women. Every year, I see fewer and fewer instances of people walking up to a veteran and thanking them for their service. This downward trend is particularly noticeable on this day although it is pervasive throughout the year. People seem to think that they have played the same role in keeping this country safe when that is far from the reality.

Yes, there are discounts today for veterans but one day is never going to be enough. These men and women deserve much more than a coupon on this day, they deserve our gratitude and our respect for doing what we were unwilling and/or unable to do. They are the ones who have ensured that this country continues to exist, they are the ones that have made it possible for us to live our lives without fear. No discount our coupon will ever make up for the sacrifices that they have made ad while our feeble words will not accomplish much more, it at least shows that we have not forgotten what they have done for us.

Thank you for your service!

A Lodge Meeting With My Dad

I had been looking forward to last night all year. Not because it happened to be my birthday but because it was a night that I was going to be able to share with my dad. I knew that the stated meeting at the lodge in November was going to be Veterans Night and I wanted to make sure that my dad was there to be recognized for his service (a recognition that he has certainly earned but has seldom received).

As seems to be the nature of things, I was looking forward to last night so much that all of the things that are beyond my control (i.e. traffic, accidents, detours, weather, etc.) did everything to delay me. While I had left the office with plenty of time to make it to the lodge before everything began I walked through the doors with little time to breath let a long enjoy dinner with my dad. I would have liked to spend more time with him and my uncle that night but I know he understood that I have responsibilities and a job to do that night.

Once I was able to let my dad know that I had finally arrived, I proceeded to make my usual rounds around the room greeting my brothers and welcoming the guests to the lodge. Of course, I never made it more than a step or two in any direction before someone would stop me for one reason or another. That might be the most enjoyable and frustrating part about being Secretary. It was in the midst of this flurry of action that I realized something for the first time in my life… I have memories of my father doing the same thing that I was while I would sit at a table and talk to a few people. Tonight our roles were reversed. Hopefully this means that I am turning into my dad.

After dinner and right after I finished all my last minute duties, we all headed up to the lodge room to begin the open portion of the night and recognize those veterans in attendance. While there have been numerous times that I have felt the same way, when I heard my dad give his name, branch, and years of service I was proud to be my father’s son. This was just another reason why I take great pride in the name that I have been given and the family from with I come. It might have been the best birthday gift that I have ever been given!

Promotion

After dinner this evening I was sitting and thinking about the day. I was also thinking about past jobs and different times in my life. It was at this time when I came to the realization that with all the jobs that I have had and all the places I have worked I have never received a promotion… until now. While this may bother some people it is something that is happening at the right place and at the right time of me. If I had been in this position in the past I don’t think that I would have appreciated it as much as I do now.

I have had many raises in my professional career but I have never been promoted during that time. While raises are nice there is something about changing your title that, for me, means more. There is only so much that money can do to recognize effort, when you know that you are progressing through the ranks in your chosen profession it really makes you feel that you are being recognized for all the work and long hours that you have put in. If I had to choose between the two I would pick the promotion. The money will come but the recognition is what keeps you pushing harder and harder. Although I will say that getting both would be the preferred choice.

I guess this is the perspective that you develop over the years. A way of looking at things, of appreciating where you are and what you do that at times is lost on the younger colleagues that I have seen come and go over the years. Like many of us in our zealous youth, more is expected than what we really deserve. However, what used to be kept in check so that we may be brought back to reality seems to now be more determined and stubborn than ever before. Too many young people are expected to be handed everything in the workplace, too many of them think that everyone should be equal, too few put in the time and energy in order to earn what everyone else has had to work for during their career.

I am proud of what I have earned and I am going to make certain I keep working hard to reinforce that decision. It has been a long journey filled with hard work and sometimes just getting by, but also one that has been tremendously rewarding and that has lead me to places and to make decisions that I would have never entered my mind a decade ago (or five years ago for that matter). While it has not been the easiest path to my first promotion I don’t think I would change a thing… that may be one of the first times I have ever used that overused phrase but it seems to sum things up nicely.

Name Change?

This season (this actually started back in May) there has been some words exchanged between the United States Congress and the National Football League (recent Facebook posts have prompted this post). What have they been discussing? Well, as was reported by Mike Jones of The Washington Post, Congressman Eni F.H. Faleomavaega (American Samoa) sent a letter to Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder (along with similar letters to NFL Comissioner Roger Goodell and FedEx President and CEO Frederick Smith as well as the owners of the NFL’s 31 other franchises) urging the owner to change the name of his franchise. Joining Faleomavaega in the effort were fellow representatives and co-chairs of the Congressional Native American Caucus: Tom Cole (Oklahoma) and Betty McCollum (Minnesota) as well as Raul M. Grijalva (Arizona), Gwen Moore (Wisconsin), Michael M. Honda (California), Donna M. Christensen (Virginia Islands), Zoe Lofgren and Barbara Lee (both of California) and Eleanor Holmes Norton of the District.

Keep in mind that this is a letter from a politician so the original is quite lengthy. However, in summary the letter stated the following: " Native Americans throughout the country consider the 'R-word' a racial, derogatory slur akin to the 'N-word' among African Americans or the 'W-word' among Latinos… Such offensive epithets would no doubt draw wide-spread disapproval among the NFL’s fan base. Yet the national coverage of Washington’s NFL football team profits from a term that is equally disparaging to Native Americans… In this day and age, it is imperative that you uphold your moral responsibility to disavow the usage of racial slurs. The usage of the [“R-word”] is especially harmful to Native American youth, tending to lower their sense of dignity and self-esteem. It also diminishes feelings of community worth among the Native American tribes and dampens the aspirations of their people.”

This is a debate that I personally have gone back and forth on for some time now. On one hand you have the points outlined above but on the other you have the fact that the term, however vile it may be, which serves as a reminder of a people and a battle that is still being fought for respectability and, in many cases, simply an acknowledgement of existence (you can read more about that fight in a few of my previous blogs). We can’t bury our history and sometimes we need such abhorrent reminders of the work that still needs to be done.

For now, I think the name should stay with the hope that sometime in the future such a visible reminder is not needed. We need all the help we can get to keep the fight in the minds of the general public. This debate should serve as a stepping stone to bring to light the struggle for recognition and the need to expose everyone, young and old, to the history of a people blotted out of the textbooks. When that day comes, then I will support such a name change.

What is disturbing in this matter is not the debate at hand but the fact that so many members of Congress are shifting their focus away from the issues that this country is facing right now. There are many other things that need to be done and many other problems that need to be fixed. Add to the fact that there is such little support in the general population for a proposed name change (21 percent to be exact) and you have a waste of time. If this is truly an issue that you are passionate about don’t start by going after the NFL, start by recognizing tribes that represent thousands of people in this country that have been fighting for generation to be considered Indian (American Indian to be exact). If you want to impact the lives of the people you care so much about, that is the fight that needs to happen not this headline grabbing waste of time.  

Revisiting 1934 And Reversing 'Paper Genocide'

This past week I came across an article published by Michael Melia of the Associated Press that was both encouraging and disappointing. The story talks about the U.S. Interior Department’s attempt to overhaul the current rules in place for recognizing American Indian tribes (the draft is currently open for discussion until September 25th). However, by the second sentence, and I guess you could say it’s inevitable, the casino card is played as if it is the only reason why tribes desire federal recognition. Here is how the reporter opens the story:

His tribe once controlled huge swaths of what is now New York and Connecticut, but the shrunken reservation presided over by Alan Russell today hosts little more than four mostly dilapidated homes and a pair of rattlesnake dens.

The Schaghticoke Indian Tribe leader believes its fortunes may soon be improving. As the U.S. Interior Department overhauls its rules for recognizing American Indian tribes, a nod from the federal government appears within reach, potentially bolstering its claims to surrounding land and opening the door to a tribal-owned casino.

"It's the future generations we're fighting for," Russell said.

The rules floated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, intended to streamline the approval process, are seen by some as lowering the bar through changes such as one requiring that tribes demonstrate political continuity since 1934 and not "first contact" with European settlers. Across the country, the push is setting up battles with host communities and already recognized tribes who fear upheaval.

As a writer, I understand that you are trying to give the story a visual reference but the true basis of this argument can’t be in the material gains that potential changes could provide. The real reason is a recognized identity which has been withheld from countless people across the nation. The proposed changes recognize the governmental and regional neglect that has remained prevalent since this nation’s founding.

People who were marginalized and forced from their home and their land, encouraged to disband and sever ties with their native roots and join ‘the civilized world’ face a daunting task in establishing the existence of their own families across generations let alone the continuous continuity of their tribe. This is why the change in definition is needed. This is why the simple line in the “Procedures For Establishing That An American Indian Group Exists As An Indian Tribe” carries such great weight and the balance of that weight needs to be shifted to accommodate the historical burdens of segregation and persecution. Seeing this seemingly simple edit brings a touch of hopeful sweetness to the bitterness that has soured numerous attempts to be recognized. “Continuously or continuous means extending from first sustained contact with non-Indians throughout the group's history 1934 to the present substantially without interruption.”

  

It is a change that can help heal the history in a place such as Virginia where anti-Semitism and “The Racial Integrity Act” tried to erase not just the present American Indian population but the identities of Indian ancestors as well. It is a means to finally put an end to the work of Virginia’s longtime registrar at the commonwealth’s Bureau of Vital Statistics, Dr. Walter Ashby Plecker who wrote “...Like rats when you are not watching, [they] have been `sneaking’ in their birth certificates through their own midwives, giving either Indian or white racial classification.”

Supported by previous actions by Virginia’s government to force American Indians to register as free blacks in the 1850’s and 1860’s, Plecker’s eugenics based campaign continued to taint the identities of Indian children throughout the 20^th century. While Virginia repealed its racial definition and segregation laws in 1975 it was still a time consuming and emotionally draining process for families to appeal decisions made at birth which misidentified their children robbing them of their ancestry. Further hindering federal recognition efforts is the fact that state recognition of Virginia based tribes did not come into existence until the 1980’s when only eight remained (including the Monacan Nation). 

Contrary to what many people in opposition of this amendment have decried, this is not a matter of land or casinos; this is about identity and ensuring the historical integrity of American Indian tribes survives. It is about recognition and resurrecting what was once excised from the historical record. It is an act that would allow us to say “We Exist!”