Issue 53

In this issue:

1) Welcome Letter by Sibyl McLendon
2) Tea Tree Oil by Pat Valle
3) Found Dog Tags
4) American Indian Heritage Month Facts
5)A warrior's Story by feather Eaglerock

Welcome Letter by Sibyl McLendon

Yá'át'ééh! Welcome to MousePages, and Happy Veteran's Day to all of you in the States. I have a sort of unusual newsletter this time. It only contains one of our usual type of articles. After the wonderful article by Pat Valle, we have a bit from a newspaper article about found dog tags. I urge you all to read this, especially if you, or anyone you know ever served in the VietNam war. It is sort of a Veteran's Day present to you all. Also in honor of Veteran's day is the letter, A Warrior's Story. American Indians are very proud of their Vets. Serving in the armed forces today is the modern equivalent of our warriors, and we honor them highly. There are also some facts about the American Indian Heritage Month.
I am also proud to announce the grand opening of Blue Moon Designs http://www.blue-moon-designs.com This is the site I have been building for Kathy Browning for these past weeks. It is a wonderful site, with tons of information on subjects that will interest you all.
So, enjoy your holiday. Until next week, Hágoónee'!

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Tea Tree Oil
by Pat Valle 

The Tea Tree (Melaleuca Alternifolia) is an indigenous plant found in Australia. It has been used for thousands of years as an antiseptic, bacterial fighter, fungicide, germicide and disinfectant. The Aboriginal people of Australia used the leaves by crushing them and making a poultice to disinfect wounds. The plant received its name around 1770 when the explorer, Captain James Cook and his crew came to Australia and used the leaves to make a tea to prevent scurvy.

It wasn't until the 1920's that the medicinal qualities were researched and documented. Recent research was done in the 50's and 60's which showed that the oil could dissolve pus and debris from wounds. Tea Tree Oil is used exclusively for topical use although it can be used as a mouthwash, for canker sores and gums problems when diluted. Other benefits from this oil which are effective include nail fungus, head lice, muscle aches, acne, insect bites and boils. It can also be used safely on pets by adding a few drops to a shampoo to relieve itch and skin irritations.

If this valuable oil were used in hospitals, staph infections could be drastically reduced. It could be a powerful alternative to antiseptic solutions that are commonly used today. 

Nail fungus is very common due to a yeast fungi. By applying Tea Tree Oil twice a day to the nail, it appears to control fungal infections.

For acne, apply a drop or two of tea tree oil directly on the spot as it helps to open pores and eliminate excess oil.

Nowadays, this incredible oil can be found in soaps, shampoos, toothpaste and even in natural skin care moisturizers. 

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Found Dog Tags

Article taken from http://www.dcmilitary.com/army/pentagram/6_28/local_news/8735-1.html  
by Chris Walz
Pentagram staff writer 

Rob Stiff, the owner of Magic Makers, Inc., and Jim Gain, the co-owner of a PMG Worldwide freight company, went to Asia on a business trip. While soaking up the local culture, the two businessmen ventured to Vietnam on a bargain-shopping escapade. In the dark alleys of Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, they discovered boxes of American dog tags being sold on the streets of South Vietnam. 

"We were sickened by what we saw," said Stiff. "This was someone's life that they were selling. These were American heroes who lost their lives in combat and are now having their keepsakes sold for a few pennies each." 

Stiff and Gain conversed frequently about the dog tags and wondered if they should take any action towards returning them to the rightful families. Their decision came quickly. 

"It was simple," Stiff said. "The tags belonged at home, not in Vietnam." 

On a return visit to Ho Chi Minh City in May of this year, the two men spent four days purchasing more than 600 tags. 

"We went to 24 different places and browsed through thousands of dog tags. We bought as many as we thought were authentic," said Stiff. "We saw some really clean and shiny Dog tags with Elvis Presley on them and we knew that they were fakes." 

"But we also found some that were bent or had bullet holes, they were dirty and rusty. We even picked up some that had blood on them," he added. 

The dog tags were being sold on the streets for six or seven for a single American dollar. 

"But to the families of the soldiers," Stiff proclaimed. "The dog tags are truly priceless." 

Before Stiff and Gain could begin their mission of seeking the families, they had to exit Vietnam. As Stiff proceeded through the airport metal detectors, his briefcase ignited the alarm. 

"I had 620 dog tags in my briefcase," said Stiff. "When the Vietnamese security guards opened it up to see what was inside, they started flipping out." 

The Saigon airport security guards made an emergency call to the police. 

"I thought that they would definitely confiscate them," Stiff confessed. "My stomach dropped. I thought the whole project was over." 

The entrepreneur was completely confused about what was going on and, to make matters more difficult, he didn't understand the Vietnamese language. 

Stiff knew, however, that if the Vietnamese police made it to the scene, a suspenseful situation could get much worse. 

"I started performing magic tricks for them," said Stiff. "I wanted to break the tension. They all started to laugh at the tricks, so I did some more. Before I knew it, they just waved me through the line." 

It was definitely a tense moment," said Stiff's partner Gain. 

Back in America, Stiff and Gain wanted to test the authenticity of the dog tags. They compared the metal plates retrieved from Vietnam to the names on the War's Memorial wall. 

"So many of them are matching up perfectly," said Stiff. "Even the service numbers are matching the names on the wall." 

The trip cost Stiff and Gain over $6,000 of out-of-pocket expenses of traveling to Vietnam, the hotel room and purchasing of the dog tags. 

"We don't want any money for this," said Stiff. "Giving these dog tags to living relatives of the soldier is good enough and the feeling that we get from doing this isn't worth a dollar amount. If one of us had a loved one killed in Vietnam, we would want these precious symbols of memories back." 

Although most of the servicemen were killed during the conflict, Stiff and Gain have found some veterans that are still alive. 

"I talked to one gentleman over the phone who asked if I had his dog tag," said Stiff. "He told me that his name was severely slanted on the tag and they left off the letter 'G' at the end of his last name. When I looked at it, sure enough, it was just as he described it. I was absolutely dumbfounded." 

Although the gratification is paramount, the effort of Stiff and Gain is taking its toll on the civilian volunteers. 

Despite the overwhelming media attention surrounding the duo, they are also juggling their day-jobs. 

"It has been taxing on both of us to take on this project and still try to earn a living," said Stiff. "But I know we wouldn't change a thing. We just want to help some families that may still be grieving." 

"But, we are extremely thankful for all the volunteers helping us out because they are making this possible," Gain added. 

"Many people are looking for lost dog tags out in the fields, like in a rice paddy or something," said Stiff. "No one ever thought to look in the shops that are in the dark back alleys of Saigon." 

The great escapade of the two businessmen, however, has received some mild criticism as well as skepticism. A few have expressed concern over the legitimacy over Stiff's web site, which ends in the traditional dot-com, used primarily for commercial businesses. 

"We are in no way accepting money for our effort," said Stiff. "I had no idea that the 'com' in 'dot-com' meant commercial. But this does, on the other hand, help us because if somebody types in "founddogtags" in the address bar, they will most likely put 'dot-com' after it then 'dot-org' or 'dot-net.'" 

"In all honesty," said Gain. "We put it as a 'dot-com' because of our own ignorance." 

Gain and Stiff currently have no plans on returning to Vietnam to purchase more dog tags, but believe they will venture there again. 

The effort and courage of Stiff and Gain is broadening everyday and is continuing to be recognized by the many. 

The people who have worked closely with the duo are offering their thanks just to be a part of their glorious call to duty. 

"Its absolutely amazing," said Malenius. "You never know how it will take off, how it will explode. We never knew it would become such a national story. We were only doing what we were supposed to be doing, helping our constituents, but it is Rob Stiff and Jim Gain who are real heroes." 

For more information on the found dog tags recovered from Vietnam, visit Stiff and Gain's web site http://www.founddogtags.com  

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American Indian Heritage Month Facts

This year marks the tenth anniversary of National American Indian Heritage Month. How did this month of recognition of our country's native peoples get started? A brief time line illustrates some of the key events on the way to that designation: 

At the turn of the 20th century, people began making proposals for a day to honor Native Americans. 
In 1914, Red Fox James, a member of the Blackfoot tribe, rode horseback from state to state in the hope of gaining support for a day of tribute. 
The following year, Dr. Arthur C. Parker, a member of the Seneca tribe, persuaded the Boy Scouts of America to designate a day of recognition for Native Americans. 
New York was the first state to observe American Indian Day in 1916. Over the years, other states followed suit in designating a day to honor Native Americans. 
In 1976, a Senate resolution authorized the president of the United States to declare the week of October 10-16, 1976, as Native American Awareness Week. 
The celebration was expanded to a month in 1990. 

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A warrior's Story

[This was written in 1996, but I think that it is a good illustration of the regard that American Indians have for their country and is a good way to remember the Veterans on Veterans Day. This was taken from: http://www.aipc.osmre.gov/Notes%20from%20Native%20America/Notes.html]

IT IS A LITTLE LONG, BUT I COULD NOT, OUT OF RESPECT, EDIT IT IN ANY WAY. THANK YOU, AND REMEMBER WHY YOU HAVE THE DAY OFF. 

A WARRIOR'S STORY 
siyo from this tsalagi gramma in anishinaabe country,

this is in response to the many people who have e-mailed their moral and spiritual support to my husband, bernard, for speaking up and out about the traditional ways of our people and the reality of our people today. i thank you all.

my husband was born and raised in ponsford, minnesota on the white earth reservation. he is the grandson of wolf rock and a direct descendent of chief may-dway-aush, who the whitemen called flatmouth. he lived for a period of time with his maternal great-grandfather ahn-da-bi-tung in bravik, minnesota.

he was educated in the catholic mission school in ponsford where he was punished many times for speaking his first language, ojibwe. he and his first wife, geraldine stone, did not teach their children to speak ojibwe, because they did not want them to suffer in the school as they had.

my husband is a combat veteran who served two tours of duty in korea. during those two tours he was wounded 5 times in hand-to-hand combat and by mortar fire. he and pete spotted wolf of the sioux nation were m.i.a. (missing in action) surrounded by enemy soldiers they hid in a cave for two weeks where they both froze their feet.

in november of 1951, on the day after thanksgiving, a mortar exploded over the bunker he was sleeping in, causing the tons of rock and dirt over him to cave in, crushing his face. after being in a coma for monthes he had to be taught to talk again, in english.

he served his country proudly and although, he was discharged with a disability rating due to his combat wounds, he was not awarded purple heart citations from the united states government until 35 years later. he has never received credit from the u.s. government for single handedly capturing an enemy platoon. he was evacuated after getting the end of his thumb shot off, taking a rifle away from an enemy soldier in hand-to-hand combat. the powers that be assumed that when comrades stated that 'rock captured the platoon,' they were referring to a south korean soldier who were called 'r.o.k.' this is the same reason that the purple heart citations came 35 years late.

my husband suffers from post traumatic stress disorder from his combat experiences. he is haunted by the spirits of the warriors: the north koreans that he killed in combat and the comrades who died fighting beside him in the battlefields. for many years he drank alcohol to keep the nightmares away. when he quit drinking over ten years ago, the nightmares returned. in 1991 he graduated from the first all native american p.t.s.d. treatment program at american lake vets hospital in tacoma, washington. three years ago he completed veterans service officer training. he does outreach and advocacy for native american veterans suffering from war traumas, helping them and their families understand p.t.s.d. and to apply for the benefits and assistance that they are entitled to. he does not receive any pay to do this, this is how he honors the memory of the warriors who did not return from the battlefields.

bernard is enrolled on his mother's side in the leech lake pillager band. when we moved to the leech lake reservation four years ago, we were viewed as outsiders by many of the people who were raised here all their lives. this is one of the most damaging of the legacies of the american holocaust and the politics of u.s. federal indian policy, the divisions and separations between our own peoples.

between us, bernard and i have 33 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren; and although the domineering culture tries to define and catagorize our family, we are family. we are not blended; there are no half children (all our children are whole); and we never 'step' on or over any of our children... we are family. geraldine stone rock has passed on to the spirit world and i am the only gramma rock many of these children will know. as grandparents we watch over the 'education' of the children... our grandchildren, our nieces and nephews, all the children in our community... because that _is_ our job.

our family has been through much for many generations. we cannot go back and change the hurts of the past, but through our grandchildren we can heal by making life better for them. we believe that better life can be secured by honoring the struggle and the strength of our ancestors and returning to their traditional values and priorties.

our ancestors were resourceful and creative peoples. they made the most of what was available to them. they adapted to their environments in a way that was good for the people and respectful to the gifts of the creator. this is how we view cyberspace and we chuckle at the mysterious coincidence that this tool of communication is available through an invisible entity called a world wide web.

it is not our intention to offend anyone and we apologize to those who take offense at any of our words. and to you non-native people who truly are empathetic and concerned about our people, we need to say, that sometimes the best support that you can give us is to stand back quietly and let our voice be heard.

i thank you for listening to this gramma.

feather eaglerock, leech lake rez

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