The first Native American Veterans Day was observed in Maine on June 21.
The Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians and the Penobscot Nation hosted events to mark the new holiday. "It is a privilege to know and have known our tribal members who have served in the armed forces," said Houlton Chief Brenda Commander, The Central Maine Morning Sentinel reported
For Charles Shay, the day was particularly moving because he just returned from a trip to France. The Penobscot veteran fought on D-Day at Normandy during World War II.
“It was very emotional, very powerful for me,” Shay said the visit, The Bangor Daily News reported. “It brought back many memories that I’ve tried to forget. That I have forgotten.”
Shay, who has a French ancestor, received France's highest military and civilian honor in 2007.
Get the Story:
Penobscot D-Day veteran Shay lauded in France (The Bangor Daily News 6/23)
Maliseets mark Native American Veterans Day
(The Central Maine Morning Sentinel 6/23)
Native American Veterans Honored (WLBZ 6/22)
Related Stories:
Bill in Maine creates Native veterans holiday (2/25)
Trending in News
1 White House Council on Native American Affairs meets quick demise under Donald Trump
2 'A process of reconnecting': Young Lakota actor finds ways to stay tied to tribal culture
3 Jenni Monet: Bureau of Indian Affairs officer on leave after fatal shooting of Brandon Laducer
4 'A disgraceful insult': Joe Biden campaign calls out Navajo leader for Republican speech
5 Kaiser Health News: Sisters from Navajo Nation died after helping coronavirus patients
2 'A process of reconnecting': Young Lakota actor finds ways to stay tied to tribal culture
3 Jenni Monet: Bureau of Indian Affairs officer on leave after fatal shooting of Brandon Laducer
4 'A disgraceful insult': Joe Biden campaign calls out Navajo leader for Republican speech
5 Kaiser Health News: Sisters from Navajo Nation died after helping coronavirus patients
More Stories
Share this Story!
You are enjoying stories from the Indianz.Com Archive, a collection dating back to 2000. Some outgoing links may no longer work due to age.
All stories in the Indianz.Com Archive are available for publishing via Creative Commons License: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)