ODVA, Tribes Join Forces to Help Veterans
Warm Spring Apache scouts, out on patrol for the U.S. Armed Forces circa 1872.
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hortly before signing a historic memorandum of understanding with the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs at the State Capiol Building, Gary Burke, chair of the Board of Trustees for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, asked to say a few words. “Our tribes, men and women, served in World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and the wars that are happening today,” he said. “American Indians still believe that this is their country. And they are willing to put their lives on the line for this country.” American Indians have always been willing to put their lives on the line to protect their people and their country, going back even farther than WWI. It’s estimated that there are almost 150,000 tribal veterans living in the U.S., more than 3,000 of them here in Oregon. If those numbers seem small, consider this: American Indians serve in their country’s armed forces in greater numbers per 14
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capita than any other ethnic group, and they have served with distinction in every major conflict for over 200 years. A U.S. general of no less stature than George Washington himself remarked on their “excellent use” as scouts and light troops in 1778. Many tribes were involved in the War of 1812, and Indians served as auxiliary troops on both sides during the Civil War. In 1866, the U.S. Army formed the Indian Scouts, which were active throughout the West in the 1800s and into the early 1900s. And as Chair Burke said, American Indians by the thousands served with courage and honor in the wars of the 20th century and into the modern era. The memorandum of understanding between the Umatilla tribes and ODVA was an agreement that will pave the way for the state’s first-ever tribal veteran service office, called a Tribal Veteran Representative, or TVR. The TVR will operate just like a county veteran service office,
