OKMULGEE, Okla. – Veterans and community members gathered early Friday morning on May 23 for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Veterans Affairs Services Office (VASO) and College of Muscogee Nation’s first Memorial Day Military Ruck . A ruck march, or rucking, is an exercise used in military training where recruits walk with weight on their back. VASO’s military ruck involved a warm up with various exercises and a march starting at the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Tribal Complex and ending at the Creek Nation Council House in Okmulgee. A keyword that many described the event’s focus on was “comradery.”
A ruck sack, the pack worn by soldiers on their back, can weigh anywhere from 35 to 70 pounds and holds essentials like clothes, water, and food. Ruck marches can range in distance from three to 12 miles. Some branches of the military require recruits to march a ruck within a certain time to pass basic training. VASO’s military ruck was led by Mvskoke Navy Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) veteran Charles Thornton. According to VASO Secretary Grover Wind, Thornton is the only known Mvskoke Navy UDT veteran.
College of Muscogee Nation President Dr. Monte Randall, Ed.D.,is a Navy veteran who is very familiar with military rucks. Randall marched in timed rucks in San Diego. According to Randall, although a ruck is a training exercise that is not intended to be fun, it can bring people together.
“For a lot of military service, for veterans, we really didn’t like a lot of things that we did. What we did like and enjoy was the comradery. You enjoy being with your team, being with your crew. You enjoyed being with the people around you,” Randall said. “For this particular event that we’re doing, this is geared toward veterans outreach.”
Rucks are held for many different purposes. They can commemorate a battle, bring awareness to veterans issues or simply bring members of the community together. The Memorial Day March educated about Mvskoke culture and the significance of being a warrior for your tribe.
VASO Secretary Grover Wind agreed with Randall that military rucks are a great activity to breed camaraderie among people. For Wind, his department wants to continue to provide programming for veterans to make them feel that they have a place to congregate, and feel valued. According to Wind, events like the department’s monthly coffee and donuts allow veterans to talk with one another about topics they do not feel comfortable talking about anywhere else.
“It’s one of the ways we want to bring our veterans back,” Wind said. “For so long our veterans have felt alienated and we wanted them to come back here.”
Wind remarked that when Native veterans come together, especially if they are from the same branch, it allows them to feel a sense of community and emotional security.
Veterans Giving Back
Earl Wheeler (Euchee/Mvskoke) is a 12-year Air Force veteran and a former National Council representative who attended the Memorial Day Military Ruck. Wheeler served in Vietnam, Guam, and the Philippines. Now in his 70s, Wheeler said he feels the need to attend veteran events and provide support to others.
“I wanted to see what good I could do to help the veterans,” Wheeler said. “There’s a high suicide rate, oh man. That goes with everybody. To see us lose them, it’s a hard thing to even talk about. I feel like I need to be involved to try to help somebody. Even if it means just going to visit with them but more importantly trying to get them to be involved and have comradery with one another and to help them move forward, as well as myself. We all struggle with those things.”
Thornton served as a Navy SEAL on the West Coast in UDT 12, Second Platoon in the Vietnam War. Navy UDTs, also known as the Frogmen, were renamed Navy SEALs during the 1980s. Thornton is active with the Mvskoke Riders, an intertribal nonprofit organization that “goes the last mile” by providing funeral escort services for fallen Mvskoke veterans. The group also volunteers at the Veterans Food Bank once a month at the Mvskoke Dome.
“Our riding group (Mvskoke Riders), it’s a joy to be around them.” Thornton said. “Everyone gets along well, they have the same thoughts. It lets me get to know more Muscogee people. I didn’t get to know the traditional ways. We got people in there, when they start talking, I listen. I’ve learned a lot from some of them.”
According to Randall, CMN is collaborating with VASO on future training for microcredentials in military-to-civilian transition services. To get connected with VASO, or to stay up to date on events hosted by the department, visit their Facebook page, Muscogee Nation Veterans Affairs.
