"The number of North Dakotans dying in Iraq and Afghanistan is growing, and that number includes American Indians, who are about 1 percent of the nation's population. The funerals are distinct and are an indication of the differences between the two cultures.

As I traveled west Friday morning for the funeral of Cpl. Nathan Joel Goodiron, sunshine and clear roads turned into cloudy skies, fits of light snow and icy roads. By the time I reached the Four Bears Lodge in New Town, N.D., I'd been gripping the wheel so tightly that I had claw fingers. p>

Goodiron, the soldier killed on Thanksgiving Day, had a wife, Eileen, and three young children. The respect and camaraderie of the community was apparent as his old high school gymnasium filled with people.

Goodiron's father, Paul - a tall, lanky man who wore fatigues that he probably wore while serving in Vietnam - was everywhere, giving instructions and comforting the grieving. Maa-Ishu-Maa-Gash, Young Eagle, would want thing to go smoothly, he indicated. As I watched elder Goodiron move about the gym, I knew his confidence came from his role as a spiritual leader.

He and his son talked on the phone and e-mailed each other regularly while Nathan was in Afghanistan. Nathan's tour would have ended in a few months, just a little after this 24th birthday."

Get the Story:
COLUMNIST DORREEN YELLOW BIRD : Tradition, ritual at a soldier's funeral (The Grand Forks Herald 12/6)
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