Remembering The Fallen: Pray for World Peace

I was raised by Robert Gopher, a man who was a pacifist. According to our tribal spiritual beliefs; he was against any war for any reason. He believed the Creator endowed man and womankind with reason that eliminated the need for war. Our tribal traditions exalt us to honor peace. The Native American spirituality is a difficult pathway--military conflicts are inevitable. That being said; it is my regret our nation has not always been judicious in waging war for a just cause.


The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are such wars. This nation, our society and global society can no longer bear the cost of war--both in terms of lives lost and diminishing national and global resources. On this first Veteran's Day of the Obama administration; I urge all of the mass mobilized constituency to remember his message of change. We must renew our commitment to bring American sons and daughters home to their families. Peace in Afghanistan will not be achieved without a stong international commitment to regional peace and through diplomatic means.


In Montana, far too many of our state's veterans suffer the scars of war. It is troubling to me to witness the homeless veteran population in Missoula. They bear the seen and hidden scars of war. Nationwide, 12% of American Indian tribes are veterans, a percentage higher than any other demographic in the nation. Tribal veterans continue to lack equitable access to VA services and benefits--living in some of the most remote regions of our nation and state. I will continue to support improved veteran outreach to tribal veterans so after their term of service ends--they are not forgotten.


I would like to express support for the Obama administration to prioritize the long needed overhaul of the VA rating system. The rating system is mired in the World War II era. This situation reflects the extreme neglect of the prior administration, and the group think of those that hide behind Old Glory, but have turned a blind eye to the suffering of our returning veterans. I urge President Obama to continue the work needed to ensure our veterans are cared for by our nation. On Monday President Obama signed an Executive Order establishing an interagency Council on Veterans Employment.


A Message of Hope to All Veterans


I am uniquely qualified to express my understanding to the countless veterans suffering from combat related injuries. I live with one such man. I would like to introduce Brock Conway, my partner-in-life of over 13 years. Brock Conway is a combat disabled veteran who served in Desert Storm. Prior to the commencement of Desert Storm, he served in Operation Eastern Exit--evacuating 281 civilians from Somalia in January 1991; a nation torn apart by civil strife.


The trauma of war is very difficult for veterans to deal with; I will never know the personal agony. Yet, families of veterans can often feel overwhelmed when their family member struggles. The road to healing is a long road, but it is not a hopeless road.


There have been many struggles for my family to cope with the sacrifices he has made as a veteran. It has never been easy, and there have been times when we did feel hopeless. But he found strength in the older native veterans who guided him to a better life.


Brock has made a proud existence for himself in the alcohol and drug free spiritual traditions of our tribes. He has worked hard to educate himself, receiving a Masters Degree in Human Service Counseling from the University of Great Falls. He received additional training in Internet Technology and a year of law school. He is the proud father of our four children. He finds healing in the arts, and he is a powwow grass dancer. He has become a Native American leader after he left military service. He is now struggling like any striving entrepreneur, to get his technology venture off the ground.


His personal story is one of overcoming great odds to succeed. He has had a difficult road, and sometimes I felt the VA was a huge bureaucracy that was unresponsive to his needs. His story, like many veterans, is one where he has prevailed despite health setbacks. Our veterans should never feel that they are alone, but there have been many times when we felt abandoned by the system. We find a lot of happiness in the simple pleasures in life.


I hope that by sharing our story, the many veterans in our state realize that as a candidate for Montana's seat in the U.S. House--I do understand on a very personal level--the struggles and hardships you all endure. I live with and deal with these frustrations on a daily basis. I believe this has sensitized me to the very real truth that human life is very precious, we should only wage war as a last resort.

Note from Melinda Gopher: The Gopher campaign has appointed Richard Parenteau, a member of the Little Shell Band of Chippewa and a veteran of the Iraq War--to conduct special campaign outreach along with Brock Conway to Montana veterans. Brock will work with veteran owned businesses. The Gopher Campaign will deploy Parenteau to spearhead an expedited effort to secure legislation recognizing this Chippewa band that was recently denied recognition by the Dept. of Interior. To establish email contact: MelindaGopher@gmail.com, mrbrockconway@excite.com. An email contact directly to Richard Parenteau is forthcoming and will be posted here.