Thank You for Joining Us at Gathering of Warriors

To celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Dine Naazbaa Partnership held it’s first annual Gathering of Warriors with Firebase Committee. This unique event offered a stand down style resource fair as well as a space for Navajo veterans to seek out traditional healing practices. Cassandra Morgan, Program Lead, and Karen Shirley, Case Coordinator, with DNP spent the better part of a year planning and organizing the event, though the event was cut short due to heavy rain, the two days Gathering of Warriors had a big impact on the attendees, with 294 individuals registered. 

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On Friday, we had a traditional healing presentation from Dino Haley, of PHXVAMC was amazing. It opened a discussion on traditional practices for our Navajo Veterans. This is the only program in the VA for traditional healing. All participants and resources were pleased and enlightened by this new information. Some of the veterans in attendance commented, "This is so neat! We need more events like THIS! Not at big conference areas or fancy places. This place is healing already." 

"I feel I have a purpose helping with this Gathering and then to have my veteran brothers and sisters veterans come and connect with them, talk and laugh, it's almost like being on active duty again. It's good to feel that comradery again," said one of the attendees.  

Gathering of Warriors took place on the property of Jerry and Elouise Lee, the atmosphere was peaceful and healing at the homestead in Wide Ruins, AZ. The Lee family has always been involved with veterans' healing and services. Jerry Lee, Marine and Vietnam Veteran, attended the Healing Circle presentation and was very grateful to have veterans that were comfortable with one another not worried about what branch, what era, or what gender. "We are all veterans. We know what each other thinks and how we feel. Only veterans can be comfortable with other veterans," Jerry shared with us. 

Elouise Lee, spouse and mother of Marine veterans, was happy with how much the community supported this event; everyone stepped up, "This is what our veterans deserve to be honored and appreciated." It was good to have the spouses and caretakers come together and find support with one another. It is hard sometimes to live if a veteran, but this event showed that these caretakers/spouses are not alone, and they are not the only ones going through these situations with their veteran. 

Jeanette Gilles, Director of The AWP Network, joined us in Navajo Nation to assist DNP with the event at the registration table with Case Coordinator Karen Shirley. The weather was cloudy, a bit breezy, but the show had to go on. Friday evening, Radio station KTNN arrived and getting ready for Song and Dance to socialize plus program lead Cassandra broadcast letting listeners know to come out, it may be raining and we are here. By 9pm, the event had closed for the night, it was still raining. 

By Saturday, due to the weather, Cassandra and The Lee Family had no choice but to cancel the event. It had been raining all night, and it continued to rain. The roads to the event became so muddy, and to prioritize the safety of our attendees first, we did not want families to get stuck. Even though we only had a few days together, we all experienced some healing, which had a significant impact on those who attended.