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Navajo Veterans Leave Dec. 3 for Standing Rock
This article has been updated. Please go to:
http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2016/11/navajo-veterans-leave-for-standing-rock.html
Update from Chili Yazzie
Update posted on Nov. 30, 2016
Dine’ Warriors for Standing Rock UPDATE: We have secured two charter buses to transport 112 Diné Veterans to Standing Rock, leaving Friday, Dec 2 to return on Tuesday, Dec 6. We will begin registration of Vets at 1 pm today, we will ask the agency Veteran offices to be the point of contact. We will have someone there to do registration.
We will have about 22 slots per agency. Vets please bring your DD214, other trip details will be available when you register.
Please try to have subzero gear like thermal socks, union suits/longjohns, ski type gloves, good jackets, etc. We will have some extras if you don’t these items. And bring your sleeping bag, we are arranging overnite indoor accommodations. We will NOT have our Vets camping outside. Bring your ‘colors’, uniforms, whatever you have that will signify your military service and bring flags.
The lead coordinators for the trip will be Angie Barney Nez, Army and Beverly Mark Maxwell, USMC and we will do another update Thursday morning.
Dine’ Warriors for Standing Rock on the way!!
By Brenda Norrell
Censored News copyright
Updated Tuesday 3 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
Shiprock President Duane 'Chili' Yazzie said Dine' Veterans for Standing Rock are ready to deploy and join the thousands of veterans willing to defend Standing Rock Camp. However, on Monday, Yazzie received a letter from Veterans for Standing Rock which offered no encouragement.
“They basically said, 'Thanks, but no thanks,'” Yazzie said.
However, after this article was posted, a response came from Veterans Stand with Standing Rock.
Yazzie said at noon on Tuesday, “Ya'ateeh abini. I had some Veterans approach me about coordinating a group of Dine' Vets to go up to Standing Rock, so I made an inquiry with the Veterans For Standing Rock group and basically they said they had enough Vets committed already. Brenda Norrell did an article last night and by midnight they wrote and said they are 100 percent committed to sponsor Dine' Vets to go up to Standing Rock.
After this article was posted on Monday night, Parker, media spokesman for Veterans Stand for Standing Rock, told Censored News the group is working on the request from Yazzie.
Donations have poured into the Veterans Stand for Standing Rock online campaign, totaling over $500,000 as of Monday.
Veterans for Standing Rock told Yazzie midday on Monday, “Thank you for your interest in Veterans Stand for Standing Rock. We are happy to announce our small campaign has grown to 2,000 Veterans from every corner of the US will be joining us to stand in peace with our brothers and sisters in Standing Rock.”
“Because of the overwhelming response we want to keep all of you informed about upcoming operations, some potentially starting in Dec 2016. Please fill in the Supporting Roster so we can contact you with details of our operations going forward.”
“We are doing the best we can to answer all your questions and will respond to your email request as quickly as we can. Our team working on finalizing the roster communications and coordinating Ride-Share/Travel requests. We thank you for your service (and your patience!)”
Earlier on Monday, Yazzie e-mailed the Veterans Stand for Standing Rock.
“My name is Chili Yazzie. I am the President of the Shiprock Chapter, Navajo Nation. We want to organize a strong contingent of Navajo Veterans to come and stand the line with you at Standing Rock. We need to know if our trip can be financed through the Go Fund Me account that has generated over $500,000 for this very purpose. Please let us know right away as we will need to lease buses and organize the Vets who will make the trip. thank you.”
Censored News contacted Veterans Stand for Standing Rock on Monday and asked for a clarification of the response to Navajos joining the deployment, and who is administering the fund of $500,000.
Please continue to check back for updates on this article.
Brenda Norrell has been a news reporter in Indian country for 29 years, serving as a writer for Navajo Times and a stringer for AP and USA Today during the 18 years she lived on the Navajo Nation. After being a longtime staff reporter for Indian Country Today, she was censored and terminated. She then created Censored News, focused on Indigenous Peoples and human rights, now in its fifth year.