Augusta VA Veteran honors his American Indian heritage

Charles “Little Eagle” Reyes, Army Vietnam Veteran, shared facts about his family lineage during American Indian Heritage month in November. His father is a member of the Kiowa Nation and his mother is a member of the Cheyenne Nation from the Twin River Reservation.

Little Eagle reminded us that we each have a role in helping Veterans access the services they’ve earned and deserve. As a former Augusta VA employee of 46 years, he never took that responsibility lightly.

He shared the significance of each feather on his regalia to illustrate how each piece is purposeful, guided by “The Creator.”

As Little Eagle demonstrated a traditional American Indian dance commonly performed at a pow-wow, he didn’t skip a beat in sharing how vital the drums play a role in communicating with the Creator.

“The pow-wows connected all of our communities.”

“Dance taught us how to be filled with the creator spirit. The pow-wows connected all of our communities together,” he shared.

After his time at VA, he went back to school and is now an instructor to Aiken youth at the Aiken Technical Career Center where he teaches a variety of public safety and emergency response courses to high school students. “I wanted to give everything I had to make the creator proud,” he said.

November was American Indian Heritage Month, an opportunity to educate VA staff and the local Veteran community about tribes. It raised awareness about the unique challenges Native people have faced both historically and today, and how tribal citizens have worked to conquer these challenges.

Meet Native American Veterans where they live with a VA career – VA News.