Veteran's Corner, Leonard Bruguier, IAIS, June 1997

Hello and welcome to this newssite. I will attempt to keep it up to date by passing along information (scuttlebutt, for Marines and Navy personnel), that I find scattered throughout our great land. I have never forgotten the great sacrifices given by our soldier boys and soldier girls when called upon by our tribal and national nations. I say tribal because we have a history of defending our people before becoming a part of the United States of America, and once that happened we have given our best for them too. We must not forget our ancestors, and we must not forget that our future generations will remember us the same way. In this way the circle stays complete.

Last year Gene Thin Elk asked me to start an Akichita (Warrior) Society for the Wase Wakpa Oyate (Vermillion community). His thinking is that it will help the veterans themselves by giving them an opportunity to visit and share different experiences that could help them live a better life. Many of us still have feelings, sometimes bad, about our combat experiences. These lingering feelings are called Post Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD) and cause nightmares, alcohol and drug abuse, and sometimes even violations of our cardinal virtues, such as child and spouse abuse. On the other side, it gives a chance to share our blessings with others and give comfort to each other. Also, many other duties devolve on Akichita members within the community. For instance, helping with the colors at Wacipi (Powwows), working with community members in different projects that help others, and bringing a sense of pride to the people of Vermillion, where we were born and raised, and our families.

We have worked a little on bringing the Akichita Society into being. About ten of us have gotten together during the last year and discussed different issues. Ben Kitto, Rich Fox, Jerald Lytle, Billie Kingfisher, Al Nygaard, Ernest Pourier, Reggie Crawford, Doyle Pipe On Head, Herbert Hoover, and myself are in the initial group. It is difficult to get together because we are students, workers, and family men. (No women veterans have joined us yet, although we know several who are veterans, and have invited them into the group). We will continue to get together and discuss ways we can help the people.

I talked with Mr. Rick Thomas, Vietnam Veteran, co-founder along with Gene of the Red Road Retreat, and currently Tribal Chairman of his people, the Santee Dakota (Santee Sioux Tribe of Nebraska), last Friday night at the Vermillion Red Road Retreat Weekend, 25-27 October 1996. Was glad to hear him talk about positive ideas he had in mind for his people. Also, Major General (Retired) Lloyd R. Moses, United States Army, was honored by the Wase Wakpa Oyate. General Moses, who served as director of the Institute of Indian Studies, was gifted with a beautiful star quilt and thanked for his generous contributions to American Indians.

I should give you some information about myself. I know that there is a certain way these things should be told in the traditional way, but please forgive me because we use different methods in this modern world. I will not brag, only tell what I did in the military and since then. I joined the United States Marine Corps after graduation from high school (1963) in Yankton, South Dakota. During my service, I served in the Republic of Vietnam with Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division (Reinforced), Fleet Marine Force, Pacific. Most of my tour (1966) was served north of Chu Lai about 15 miles, based on Hill 54. After discharge, I worked as a machinist in Portland, Oregon until 1980 when I returned to South Dakota. I married Phyllis Chilson (from Sisseton, South Dakota), in 1976 and we have three children: Petra Helen (1979), Gabriel Rufus Smith (1981), and Jacob Willis (1984). Phyllis and I were divorced in 1986 and today she and the kids live on a farm outside of Sisseton. I am extremely proud of them and try my best to keep in touch. I remarried in 1987 but it did not work out and we separated in 1993. When I returned to South Dakota I did not want to stay in my trade so I came to the University and earned two degrees, using my GI Bill, workstudy, loans, and part-time work to pay the bills. I went to Oklahoma State University and finished my Ph.D. studies in American History in 1989. When the directorship of the University of South Dakota's Institute of American Indian Studies opened in 1990, I applied and was hired. It took me three years (four tough years of ABD [all but dissertation]), but I finally finished the dissertation in 1993 and graduated from OSU in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Since then I have worked on fulfilling the Institute's mission while teaching at least two classes a semester. It keeps me busy.

I must close for now sending along good thoughts and feelings for you and yours. If you have news of, about, and for veterans, please feel free to pass it on and I will try to get it on this website. As time goes by, I will bring more information to this site. The Institute of American Indian Studies finally got a scanner to go with all our electronic equipment so that should open more doors to sending along information. Also, your kind attention is directed to the Wacipi announcement given below. I have also attached a bibliographic essay I wrote while still in graduate school. I will attempt to bring it up to date with additions to the bibliography as time allows. Hope to see you there. Doksha ake. Semper Fidelis.