Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribal Tribune

A friendship made several years ago at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) in Washington, D.C. is providing a gateway to services, knowledge and growth potential for the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes Office of Veterans Affairs (OVA).

When Francine Worthington, Employment Opportunities and Training Services (EOTS) director, worked at DOL’s Indian and Native American Programs (INAP) department, she befriended Jenel Turner.

Turner is a veterans employment specialist and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) officer for the Office of Agency Management and Budget (OAMB), and was introduced to Marvin Wilson, OVA service officer, by Worthington.

The new friendship between Turner and Wilson brought Turner to Oklahoma City as a guest speaker at OVA’s first Oklahoma State Indian Veteran’s Benefits Conference on May 2, 2008.

More recently, the connection took Wilson to the nation’s capitol for meetings to learn more about opportunities for veterans and to showcase the tribes’ veteran initiatives.

Wilson first met with DOL representatives on July 24, 2008. He met with Turner, Evangeline Campbell, INAP program manager; Gordon Burke, Office of Operations and Programs (OOP) director; George Mike Parker, OOP deputy director; Patrick Hecker, state grants, and Mike Hernandez, homeless grants.

On July 25, 2008 Wilson met with Juanita Mullen at the Veteran’s Administration (VA) building. Mullen is a VA program analyst, and the liaison for American Indian/Alaska Native veterans in the Center for Minority Veterans.

Wilson began each meeting by providing a brief history of the tribes and an outline of OVA’s mission, accomplishments, and goals.

“We don’t discriminate … we recognize all veterans,” Wilson said. “We think military in our office. We do make things happen.”

Wilson said OVA is beginning to talk to other tribes about starting OVA offices, they are having their first veterans powwow the weekend of Aug. 22-24, 2008 in Canton, Okla., and they have the first Native American Legion Post in Western Oklahoma. Wilson is the first commander of that American Legion.

Other OVA endeavors mentioned were the headstone project, expanding to have a color guard and an honor guard, providing $200 to veterans returning home, and their first Stand Down.

Wilson said OVA is aggressively working for funding. He said OVA would still be accountable to the tribes, but want to have their own funding as well.

“We’re trying to be proactive,” Wilson said.

Most recently, Wilson traveled to Montana to train as a Tribal Veteran Representative (TVR). A TVR will act as a benefits coordinator, and outreach and employment specialist for VA.

“Veterans Affairs recognizes the dynamics in Indian Country and working with Native American’s. The VA initiative to do this has been a bold stepping-stone. It’s a concentrative effort,” Turner said. “There’s a big difference in how services are received. There’s no industry on reservations or corporations. It has to be more of an in-reach instead of an outreach.”

Campbell, who is Narragansett, and Turner, who is Blackfeet, Cheyenne and Chickasaw, helped Wilson explain Native American communities and people to attendees who are not familiar with Indian Country.

Mullen at the VA office was already familiar with Indian Country and Native American veteran needs. Mullen is Seneca from New York and retired from the Air Force after 20 years of service.

She said not everyone understands the Native American culture and the distance that people sometimes travel to obtain services.

“They can’t grasp the idea ... they think they’ve got roads and cars and computers. They don’t understand,” Mullen said.

Mullen provided Wilson with avenues, insight and ideas to try. She encouraged Wilson to invite VA representatives out to events like the veterans powwow, so they can see first hand the distance people travel. Mullen also said all veterans need to be included in the services OVA provides.

“I’ve been to a couple of tribes and there were no female veterans. They didn’t include them,” Mullen said.

Wilson also brought up the concept of who a veteran is. “If you didn’t serve in a conflict, it does not mean you aren’t a veteran,” he said.

Other issues discussed at the meetings were homelessness, mistrust of the government, Workforce Investment Act (WIA), veteran preference with employers, transition assistance, and grants available to assist veterans.

Wilson also mentioned that tribal veterans are given dances when they leave, but not when they come back. “All veterans give up their youth,” Wilson said.

He said there are currently 15 active duty tribal members deployed, and Native American’s are always first to answer the call.

“I think you’ve opened up a few eyes,” Burke said. He said now it’s time to get on the ground.

With that, Wilson walked out of the DOL meeting with three commitments:

1. A U.S. Department of Labor representative will be at the Nov. 10, 2008 OVA Stand Down.

2. Burke will work with Campbell to learn more about Indian affairs.

3. Campbell will contact the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes WIA program director to see what they can do to further assist veterans.

“I really want this to work,” Wilson said. “My heart and soul is in this.”

Wilson quoted Cheyenne and Arapaho Gov. Darrell Flyingman by saying, the Creator, family and veterans are the three things people believe in.

Mullen was also invited to the Stand Down and shared some background on Gathering of Healers. She said VA works with tribal members and they have a one-week camp where the participants are VA employees who learn about Indian cultures.

“It’s another way to get VA involved and understand us,” Mullen said.

OVA’s Stand Down this year will last for one day. Wilson said they have stand down kits designed for tribal members.

Last year participants were given jackets, hats, hygiene kits and a meal. This year VA representatives will register veterans and reserves groups will provide flu shots.

“If we’re not out there, we’re not doing our jobs,” Wilson said about helping veterans out in the communities.

Wilson said OVA is also the only Native American group that applied for Stand Down funds last year.

Wilson’s journey ended with a networking session at the National Museum of the American Indian, where he met Native American’s who work at various agencies in the Washington, D.C. area.

“What the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes are trying to do is commendable. I was so proud to be a part of that,” Turner said. “If they can pilot something then all tribes can follow. It can be an enormous benefit. Once you create a good thing, it will duplicate itself.”

Turner said the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes are the first to visit DOL representatives in this manner.