Thursday, March 28, 2024

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500 honored

500 honored

Medals pinned on veterans, young and old, from all campaigns

SHIPROCK

Pastor Robert Tso of Shiprock felt more should be done to honor the Navajo Nation’s veterans. The solution, he said, came to him as a vision from God.

In a moving tribute last Saturday at the Phil Thomas Performing Arts Center, Navajos from across the Nation were presented with medals of valor for their service in the U.S. Armed Forces.

“Each of you has paid a price and borne the scars,” said keynote speaker Brig. Gen. (ret.) Jack Fox. “We are here, free, able to come together, because of the price you were willing to pay when others were not.”

Fox currently serves as New Mexico’s cabinet secretary for veterans services.

The “Honoring our Navajo Veterans Pinning Ceremony” was organized and presided over by Tso, a Vietnam War veteran who thanked veterans for their service and recognized the widows and survivors in the audience.

It was hard to find a dry eye in the auditorium, which was filled to capacity.

“We come alongside you in your grief,” said Tso. “We honor the service of your husbands, sons and daughters.”

Fox, former Navajo Nation presidents Ben Shelly and Joe Shirley Jr., and Vice President Jonathan Nez (filling in for President Russell Begaye), served as the “pinners” of the medals. Each veteran in attendance received the medal commissioned by the Navajo Nation.

How it came to be

Tso was born and raised in Los Angeles. He joined the army in 1968, did a tour in Vietnam, and came out in 1971.

“I was messed up until I was 39, then I gave myself to Jesus Christ,” said Tso.

After that, Tso came back to “the rez” in Shiprock, and started working with people with addictions.


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About The Author

Rima Krisst

Reporter and photojournalist Rima Krisst reported for the Navajo Times from July 2018 to October 2022. She covered Arts and Culture and Government Affairs beats.Before joining the editorial team at the Times, Krisst worked in various capacities in the areas of communications, public relations, marketing and Indian Affairs policy on behalf of the Tribes, Nations and Pueblos of New Mexico. Among her posts, she served as Director of PR and Communications for the New Mexico Indian Affairs Department under Governor Bill Richardson, Healthcare Outreach and Education Manager for the Eight Northern Pueblos, Tribal Tourism Liaison for the City of Santa Fe, and Marketing Projects Coordinator for Santa Fe Indian Market. As a writer and photographer, she has also worked independently as a contractor on many special projects, and her work has been published in magazines. Krisst earned her B.S. in Business Administration/Finance from the University of Connecticut.

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