KEHEWIN – A flag raising ceremony was hosted at Kehewin school, as veterans, Legion members, Elders, and others gathered around the solemn drum beat and sweetgrass smudge that held space as flags were raised on Nov. 7.
An assembly was held in the school gym afterwards, emceed by Crystal Poitras-John who, with great pride, recognized local veterans and thanked them for their sacrifices.
Veterans recognized included Louis Lapatak (Veteran of the Vietnam war), Clint Lapatak (Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry), Jorge Trottieer ( Veteran of the war in Afghanistan), Kihiw Weaselhead-Kehewin, Duane Hite, and Chase White (combat engineer).
Elder Lillian Youngchief offered a prayer, and Peercy Moosepayo started with an Honour song.
Veteran Louis Lapatak offered a speech and shared the beautiful letters he had received from students, thanking him for his service, his bravery, and the positive effect his sacrifice had for the country.
Lapatak shared a story about a recent sweat lodge he participated in, and how he met a young lady who is being deployed to Latvia.
“She was a little apprehensive on what she should expect . . . I didn’t know what to say, except perhaps to share my experience I had when I first joined the army. I talked to her about expectations. I tried to encourage her and told her a story.”
Lapatak spoke about his experiences after completing both basic training and advanced individual training, and how he got the orders to go to Germany.
“Since I've always wanted to travel, I was excited . . . Before we went, we had orientation on what to expect of the people, the culture, what we would see. One of the things they told us was ‘You will be lonely. Things will be exciting but after a while you will get lonesome’. So, I told this young lady to go a find a buddy, somebody that you can trust, somebody that you can be with all the time and confide in.”
Lapatak spoke about how he did not have the internet to communicate with his relatives and loved ones while he was deployed, but relied on letters, and he was honest with the young woman he met at the sweat lodge about how he felt during his time serving.
“I told her how I felt when I went to Vietnam. I recall telling her that I too was a little apprehensive, a little bit scared, but I said I had a good frame of mind. I didn’t want to do it, but I had to do it. I had no choice. That’s the thing about being in the army, when you get orders to go someplace, you go ahead and you do it,” said Lapatak.
He continued to regal the audience with tales of his experiences of the Vietnamese people, and their perceptions of the Americans, which included being proud and loud.
“I didn’t go deeply into talking about Vietnam, and at this time . . .” Lapatak trailed off for an emotional moment. Poitras-John came to stand with him, and Wayne Youngchief, the Elder’s helper Oskapeyewsis, came to smudge Lapatak and rest his hand on his shoulder in a powerful moment of authenticity.
“It’s very difficult,” Lapatak continued. “It’s difficult to talk about experiences . . . during the time I was in the US army, when I came back, I came back more devastated than I had expected . . . My personality changed.”
After a conversation with his uncles, Lapatak requested to be released from the US military.
“Sometimes when you hear the elders' words, they mean something, and you kind of figure it out . . . and they were right,” said Lapatak.
The Cree language was prevalent during the ceremony, with Grade 4, 5, and 6 students singing Kā Kanāta (Oh Canada) in Cree, led by Harriet Moosepayo.
The students' handmade wreaths were presented to Kihiw Weaselhead-Kehewin, who hung them on a cenotaph.
“What a beautiful cenotaph and visual reminder of the important sacrifice men, women, and even animals have made to ensure we are able to live our lives in peace,” said Poitras-John.
Karissa Giant read In Flanders Fields alongside a PowerPoint presentation, followed by a moment of silence and a warrior song.
The event ended with a gathering at the Kehewin graveyard with the Bonnyville Legion, where a ceremony for the Kehewin veterans was held.
Bugler Mike Goguen commented on what a privilege it was to be invited to Kehewin to experience the songs, prayers, and smudging that goes along with their heartfelt ceremony.
Remembrance Day and National Aboriginal Veterans Day (Nov. 8) celebrations were head throughout the week, along with community celebrations taking place on Nov. 11.