| Willie John comes from the Lake Helen Reserve, east of
Nipigon, and drives a Thunder Bay taxi. He's a veteran of the Second World War, having
served in the Canadian Army here and overseas.
He's also a man of many interests and a good organizer.
John is president of the Native Veterans Association of Northwestern Ontario, a group
he helped organize last year because Native Veterans were being repeatedly frustrated in
their attempts to qualify for compensations to which their military service entitled them.
Its membership has doubled in its first year.
It's very difficult for Native Vets to partake of the services and benefits available
to other vets," he says, "because they're often isolated by language barriers
and are widely scattered from Fort Frances to Moosonee."
John speaks the Algonquian dialect which is understood throughout Ontario and Manitoba.
He promoted the idea of forming the Native Veterans Association all across the area and
convened the founding convention in Thunder Bay last Armistice Day.
There's still only the one branch in Thunder Bay," he says, "but we serve
Veterans from White River to Manitoba and from the border north."
He points out that the association has members who have served in both wars, in Korea
and in Vietnam. "The Vietnam vets lived along the border and simply crossed over to
join the American forces," he says.
The NVA is now incorporated and has a board of directors. Its stated aim is to provide
a unified and cohesive voice that will represent the concerns of Native Veterans
throughout Northwestern Ontario. There's already a bi-monthly newsletter and plans are
taking shape to produce a book outlining the history of Native military service, one which
John hopes will find its way into school curricula. |
