Honored in speeches, ignored in crisis: Diné veterans march 67 miles, find no one home

By Nicholas House | Jun 19, 2025 | News |

CH’ÍNÍLĮ́

On Friday morning, a group of Diné veterans who marched more than 67 miles to the capital were met with an empty president’s office. President Buu Nygren wasn’t there.

The veterans, members of the Central Navajo Veteran Organization, had submitted multiple requests for a meeting with the president several months ago. With no response, the group organized a march from Ch’ínílį́ to Tségháhoodzání in a final effort to be heard. Upon arrival, there was no indication that the president’s office was prepared to receive them.

They were met by Candace Begody-Slim, the president’s deputy chief of staff.

“We got there, and we set up on the parking lot of the Veterans Memorial Park there,” said Pete Tsinnijinnie, the veteran organization’s commander. “The president’s vehicles, the security vehicles were there, and we know he (Nygren) was there, and we announced ourselves as we were going by that we’re here.

“And we set up, we started a little talk, and then the deputy chief of staff came out, and then invited us to go in—it would be a lot cooler inside.

“And she came in, she came out and we decided to go ahead and take her invitation, because it was very hot, and we do have some elderly with us. So, we went in, we went into the conference room, and they told us that the executive director of Veterans (Administration) was coordinating the lunch for us and that we’re to stay there and she came back and told us, well, she is the one that’s going to be sitting in to address our concern,” Tsinnijinnie continued. “And we said, ‘No, no, we came here to see the president. We want the president to come in here.

“But then she (Begody-Slim) said, ‘He’s not available, he’s not around, he’s gone.’ She didn’t say where he went, but she should have just said, ‘Well, he snuck out the back door.

“We had two ladies out that was sitting outside and went next to where he was parked, and he came out and with his driver,” said Wayne Claw, the CEO of Navajoland Nursing Homes Inc., who helped with the march. Claw supports the Central Navajo Veteran Organization.

To read the full article, please see the June 19, 2025, edition of the Navajo Times.

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