Veterans recognized in Ottawa ceremony

Page 2 On June 21, National Aboriginal Day, four Alberta men received a newly minted war veterans' medallion in Ottawa. The four are Aboriginal Veterans Society of Alberta members: Robert Berard, George Pamburn, Victor Letender (president), and Sam Sinclair. Alberta veterans may also be members of the National Aboriginal Veterans Association, Letender said. Their medallion is inscribed "Canadian Aboriginal War Veterans." The reverse inscription says "Commemorating Aboriginal Veterans Contributions to Canada in the Third Millennium." George Hollo, a senior policy analyst who holds the veterans' portfolio at Indian Affairs, explained: "About a year-and-a-half ago, I was looking at some idea about what we could do to commemorate the millennium year and what . . . kind of commemorative thing we could do for Aboriginal veterans, and came up with this idea of a medallion. "Not a medal," Hollo added, "because a medal takes three-to-five years or longer. You have to go to the Queen. "When I talked to Claude Petit . . . the NAVA president," said Hollo, "I found out he was thinking of the same thing." Hollo got support from Dennis Wallace, associate deputy minister of Indian and Northern Affairs, who used to hold the same portfolio at Veterans Affairs. NAVA planned and minted the medallions. The original plan was to first present medallions to two Aboriginal veterans from each province and territory, but the occasion attracted more. Hollow said any Aboriginal veteran, irrespective of treaty status, who identifies himself to NAVA will also receive the medallion. Lt.-Gen. R. R. Crabbe, Department of National Defence deputy chief of Defence staff, made the presentations.