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-----Original Message-----
From:    Tsinnie Fredrick Mr. 89SVS/SVK
Sent:    Wednesday, April 04, 2001 9:44 AM
To:    Lewis Robert D. CMSgt
Subject:    American Indian interest

Sir,

I want to thank you for taking the lead in trying to understand what I have been saying and writing for years. This has not been an easy task and throughout my years from an airman to my retirement, I have tried to bring an understanding that my culture was not for sale nor for exploitation. I retired wondering if the CMSgts ability to lead without prejudice and dehumanizing my culture was ever going to change-needless to say, it became a reality that the significant symbol of the CMSgt Stripes will forever be sign of racism. I say racism because, whenever a culture is singled-out to be an icon, logo or a mascot for any organization, school or sports team, it really does send a signal out that Indian people today are mascots.

Though not every CMSgt may feel this way, it is the outright hostility I have encountered whenever I brought this issue to light. But I am committed to fixing a wrong. Perhaps now, when a non-Indian sees an American Indian in their group or squadron, they won't refer or address those young military Indians as "hey, Chief" or "hey Indian," as I have often been addressed throughout my career. I cannot express the outcry of humiliation I felt but as a good NCO, I moved on to do the work I enlisted for. No amount of justification such as, honoring the Indians, respect for, holding in high regards, to use an American Indian Chief as a logo for the CMSgt Group to emulate or to identify with is wrong.

I am a proud American Indian, born and raised on the Dineh (Navaho) reservation in Arizona. My parents never spoke English and therefore my entire learning as a young man has been in own language. English is my second language. This is why I am deeply insulted in the usage of my culture as a logo. While in the service, I have been taught that I must respect those around me and have been to mandatory awareness classes so that we can better understand another person origin. As I saw the trend to fix the way we looked upon the other ethnic groups-I just knew that soon, American Indians could be looked upon with the same respect. But that was not to be.

I tried to start an American Indian private organization on base since 1987 through 1992, but through a lack of response from social action, I dropped the issue. Each year in November, a president has issued a proclamation that it is American Indian Month. But the activities for this awareness has led to me be told what is offensive and not offensive. People wanted to know about the true history of American Indian and have expressed a desire to know more but this was always clouded with what was appropriate? Lurking in the background was usage of my cultures by the CMSgt Group and as the graphics request that came through for retirements or CMSgt banquets, there in front of me was the "Indian Chief's Logo" or "Hey Indian". As I mentioned to AF CMSgt Finch in a letter, it like stabbing me in the back and into the heart of my culture and it hurts.   I only need to tell what I went through while in uniform to illustrate whatfellow service members thought of Indians. And people tell me that it could never happen. As you can see, it is still happening today. Therefore, I could never get into this program and thus for the last 3 yrs have withdrawn total support to all Air Force bases for American Indian Awareness.

As we will be honoring some of America's greatest American Indian heroes, The Navaho Codetalkers, with the Nations highest medal for Valor, The Medals of Honor, (finally), I can only see that regardless of their courage and sacrifices, they might just be viewed still as objects in a form of a Mascot.

Again, thank you for leading the way, and you are indeed one who has taken the CMSgt's Creed seriously.

Chuck Dineh

This is the new logo of the Andrews AFB CMSgts Group that has been modified in a gesture of true respect for American Indian people and leaders.