Navajo honors and blesses cancer survivors and Veterans

My wife and I are involved in a movement called Adopt A Native Elder. It raises funds and provides for food drives several times a year to the Navajo Reservation in Arizona. It is a marvelous group. Check it out www.anelder.org.

They hold a big weaving sale in Deer Valley Resort outside of Salt Lake City each year at Veterans Day. I have never seen such a great group. They held a special ceremony two years ago honoring Vets and I got to meet a Code Talker from WWII:. There are a lot of Navajo men and women serving in the Armed Forces. After the Elders blessed and thanked the Navajo Vets, they invited all Vets to come from the audience to be blessed and thanked. They gave each of us a small gift, including small American Flag weavings. It was the first time I'd ever been thanked for my service. They then shook hands with all the Vets and then the entire attendance did. Talk about sore hands!

We just got back and the ceremonies included honoring and blessing not only Veterans, but cancer survivors. There were a lot of special traditional dresses worn, not in the traditional purple, but in pink. Some had woven rugs with pink in them. It was a moving experience. We bid on and bought a larger woven American flag created by Mary Claw. On 9-11, she and some of the "Grandmas" all began weaving American flags for people. The flag we bought was the first she did and had been in a collection. Mary will not be able to do this much longer due to her age, 96< and failing eyesight. It is so good to know there are people everywhere supporting cancer survivors. When I get pictures back, I'll post them. They are pretty shy, so they wouldn't allow much photography.

to give you an idea of the kinds of people they are, when the Gulf War started up, a number of the surviving Code Talkers packed a bag and drove to the Marine Recruiter in Window Rock, AZ. They told the recruiter they were Code Talkers and ready to go help. These men are very old, arthritic, some on oxygen and it made no difference, they were Marines and ready to go once again to help America. How can you not admire such people? Thought you ought to know about this great nation.