Posted on 04/08/2003 8:50:07 PM PDT by Herodotus
I trust the moderators will tolerate a first-time threadmaker and help me to put this where it goes.
Building from the David Bloom support thread, I begin this thread to direct attention to the recently established trust fund for the two children of Pfc. Lori Ann Piestewa. She perished in combat when the 507th Maintenance Company was ambushed in southern Iraq, and leaves behind two children. She was the first woman to die in combat, and one of the small number of Native American women in the U.S. military. She served her country and her tribe with honor and dignity as a warrior.
Information follows on the recently established trust fund for her children.
Piestewa memorial fund established
By DAILY SUN STAFF 04/08/2003
The Hopi Tribe Monday established a fund to benefit Pfc. Lori Piestewa's two children and gave an address for those who wish to send their condolences to the family of the slain Hopi soldier.
"We've just been inundated with tons of requests from people in the community wanting to contribute in some form or another," said Vanessa Charles, spokeswoman for the Hopi Tribe.
Donations to the "Lori Piestewa Memorial Fund" can be made at any Wells Fargo Bank. The number of the Piestewa account is 0464633783.
Piestewa, 23, has two children, a boy 4 and a girl 3. Piestewa grew up in the Hopi village of Lower
Moenkopi and was a graduate of Tuba City High School.
She was a soldier in the 507th Maintenance Company out of Fort Bliss, Texas, that was ambushed March 23. The Department of Defense notified the Piestewa family Friday evening that the young solider was among eight 507th soldiers killed in action in the ambush.
Charles said donations to the memorial fund "will go directly into a fund for the children."
Calls offering financial assistance to help the Piestewa children have come from across Arizona and the nation, said Charles.
Anyone who wishes to send a card or note of condolence to the Piestewa family may send them to the Hopi Tribe, P.O. Box 123, Kykotsmovi, AZ., 86039. Please write "Lori Piestewa" on the outside of the envelope, Charles said.
Cards and notes may also be sent to the Piestewa family in care of the Tuba City Unified School District, P.O. Box 67, Tuba City, AZ 86045.
Charles said no firm plans have been released by the Piestewa family regarding funeral services or a public memorial.
The vice president of the Navajo Nation ordered Monday that flags be flown at half staff on the reservation for two days in honor of Piestewa, the first American servicewoman killed in the war and one of only a handful of American Indian women serving in the military.
"Lori Piestewa's military service is a reflection of the dedication of our Native American soldiers who are defending our nation and traditional homelands in this time of war," said Navajo Vice President Frank Dayish Jr.
"We should honor, respect and salute our committed military personnel serving in this conflict," he said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the Piestewa family."
Dayish's executive order asked that Navajo Nation flags across the reservation be flown at half staff on both Monday and Tuesday.
Piestewa was also remembered during the opening ceremony Monday of the National Indian Gaming Association convention in Phoenix.
The group's chairman, Ernest L. Stevens Jr., described Piestewa as "one of the greatest warriors of all time."
"As we move on we do that with great honor to the great warrior that's lost defending this country, a warrior that lost her life trying to bring peace to this world," Stevens said. "We'll keep her close to our heart, keep her close to our thoughts."
Tribal musicians sang an honor prayer in memory of Piestewa and members of California's Morongo Band of Mission Indians pledged $5,000 toward a fund for her children.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Wells Fargo, acct# 0464633783.
That said, however, we must look to the future and ask if the Armed Forces is any place for single mothers. Our services are filled with so many of them that some headquarters and support outfits look more like daycare centers than military units. This is not a good thing. So much has gone right in this war, but we need to re-learn a few old, common-sense lessons...
It's actually 'Squaw Peak', a major landmark in north central Phoenix. The name has been contentious for some time for the usual PC reasons. I usually scoff at such concerns, but my patriotism has got the better of my cynicism this time and I support the proposal.
The Arizona Republic had an editorial today calling for it to be renamed 'Piestewa Peak'.
Then there is the question of what to rename the 'Squaw Peak Parkway', among other local landmarks that take their names from the mountain. 'Piestewa Parkway' has a musical alliterative sound to it but it seems a bit much to give PFC Piestewa both a peak and a major expressway. Liberty Parkway, Veterans Parkway, or Goldwater Parkway would all be fine by me.
-ccm
No informed individual could read about the children left by this single mother and fail to think the same thought which I expressed. It is an elephant standing in the middle of the room, and mentioning it does not impugn PFC Piestewa's honor. To the contrary, ignoring the obvious only perpetuates the misguided political correctness that helped to orphan the Piestewa children.
Good post...
Thank you for posting.
Here is a link to the Navajo Times.
http://www.thenavajotimes.com/where.html
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.