(upbeat music) - Coming up next on this special Memorial Day edition of "Arizona Horizon," we'll speak with the son of fallen Arizona soldier, Lori Piestewa, 20 years after her death.

Also tonight, a roadway installation in North Phoenix recognizes Medal of Honor winners with ties to Arizona, and we'll revisit our interview with Arizona Congressman Ruben Gallego who talks about his combat experiences in Iraq.

That's all ahead on this special edition of "Arizona Horizon."

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Thank you.

- Good evening and welcome to this special Memorial Day edition of "Arizona Horizon."

I'm Ted Simons.

This year marks 20 years since US Army specialist Lori Piestewa was killed in the line of duty.

She was the first native American woman to die in combat while serving in the US military and the first woman in the US military killed in the Iraq war.

Lori's son Brandon was just four years old when he lost his mom.

He's 24 years old now and works in veteran and military service at Northern Arizona University.

We recently spoke to Brandon about his mother's legacy.

Welcome to "Arizona Horizon."

Good to have you here.

- Thank you.

Thank you for having me.

- Yeah, you betcha.

Such a child, small child when your mom died, you've been able to live with this over the years.

Has it helped you put her legacy in perspective?

- It definitely has, but like you said, like over the years it's been a stepping stone each time of the way.

Each year has prevented or presented its difficult meaning.

It also has helped me grow and live life in a way that normal other kids would as my age.

So I definitely had struggle and definitely had to overcome certain ways too as well.

- I was gonna say, having such a high profile mom, and this must have been rough for you growing up at times.

- It was very rough for me at times and basically was, I felt like, my grandmother always told me that I always had eyes everywhere on me.

So no matter what I did, no matter what I do, anyone was gonna find out, so - [Ted] Yeah, I'll bet, I'll bet.

Was there an instant, was there a moment, was there a spark where it turned all around for you or was it a gradual process?

- It was actually a gradual process.

Growing up I was always in the spotlight, and with that spotlight there's always, there's always good and bad, and so there was actually a time when growing up I was able to talk to other students my age, and that's kind of what I do now aside from working in the Veterans Center.

I speak to other kids across the country, middle schools, high schools, and just kind of tell 'em what it means to be the word freedom, and to believe in themselves.

So that's kind of helped spark my journey too as well to help others and understand that too.

- I was gonna say four years, do you remember much about your mom?

- Very slightly, yeah.

And I've talked to actually a couple people, and they've actually told me that at a keen part of my life being that young, you always remember either the really great times or the really bad times, and it seems like it's one of those memories that I always have.

I have both good and bad, so.

- Yeah, but you, but again, you got the eyes on you.

You got a lot of people that can tell you story.

Grandmother can tell you stories, I'd imagine?

- So many stories.

And what's perfect is that we have her memorial every year on the 23rd of March, and her comrades come out, and they tell me the last, they tell me like the last part of her life basically and what she was as a soldier and basically what growing up and like going to the basic training and also being together.

So I really enjoy that very much.

- Your mom, as among Hopis and Tuba City, how is she remembered?

How does the community remember her?

Talk to us about that?

- So the community remembers her quite frequently.

So basically what they do is they basically just honor her by remembering her name, and by doing that they have different functions and different memorials in honor of her name too as well.

There's actually a Hopi Post named after her on the Hopi reservation, and they go to a lot of functions all over the country and just in honor of her.

- Yeah, it sounds like it impacts the community quite a bit.

And now you're working in veteran military service there at at NAU.

And I understand you're also a power lifter, huh?

- I am, yes, I am.

- Yeah, yeah, all of this, do you feel your mom's influence?

Again, losing her at four, that's tough, but you've been around.

It seems like you've been around her your whole life because of everything you've heard and people say about her.

That influence still there?

- It's definitely still there.

And one of the reasons why I love working where I work at now, I always, my goal and purpose in life is to try to give back to the veteran community as much as I can.

And working here at NAU is just a perfect opportunity as I get to help other veterans, dependents, and spouses too as well, so, and it's just one of the stepping stones that it's gonna help me achieve my goal to be an occupational therapist.

- Oh, occupational therapist, good for you.

Last point, we got about 30 seconds left here.

What do you want people to know about your mom?

- So basically what I want people to know is that she was not only just a soldier cause I feel like that's what people see her as.

She was also a mother.

She was also a daughter, she was also a sister.

And so I just want people to know that too as well.

And just that her purpose and life was just to bring people together and in harmony and in peace and yeah.

- Well, great job.

Brandon Whiterock, again Lori Piestewa's son and a success on his own up there in Northern Arizona University.

Best of luck to you.

Thank you so much for joining us.

- Thank you very much for having me.

- You bet.

- I really do enjoy volunteering.

I like to think that I have made a difference.

That's enough.

I don't need to be patted on the back.

I've included my PBS station in my future plans.

It's not a big gift, but something that will help them.

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(upbeat music) (lots of people talking) - Well, after Pearl Harbor, I think so many of us felt a obligation to help our country.

I joined the sixth Marine Division Pioneer Battalion, and they had been very active in the island fighting, and we were preparing for Okinawa and landed there the first, April the first 1945.

And I thought it was an honor and a privilege to be able to serve your country and to contribute what little I did for its continuation and victory in World War II.

And I don't think there's anything higher that one can do other than serve your country in the time of need.

- A roadside memorial recognizing Medal of Honor winners with Arizona ties can be found in North Phoenix near Pinnacle Peak and Cave Creek Roads.

The Medal of Honor is the nation's most prestigious military decoration awarded to those who risked their lives above and beyond the call of duty.

Phoenix City Councilman Jim Waring was instrumental in creating the signage to honor those recipients, and we spoke with Councilman Waring about this roadside tribute.

The Arizona Medal of Honor is Arizona Medal of Honor Row.

That's what it's called?

- Yes.

- Okay, gimme a better definition and a better description.

- Well, I don't know if there's a better definition, but it's the 37 Medal of Honor recipients who have Arizona ties.

This actually was brought to me by a constituent, the idea, Archie Dixon, he saw it up in the Pacific Northwest, I believe in Oregon.

He saw something similar, suggested it might be appropriate.

The National Cemetery is out in District Two.

And so there was what we thought was an appropriate space.

The question was funding, where would we get it?

I'm cheap, but in public life they call you conservative.

But your family call you the cheap, but so we don't spend all of our office budget every year, and so we had money basically left over that would've been turned back to the city.

So we spent some of that money to create these signs.

And that's what you see out there today.

- I would imagine not too much pushback on something like this.

- No, no, but you do have a lot of rules to follow.

Signs can't be too big.

You have to be respectful of the colors and so forth.

We did get one complaint, a fellow offered to pay to totally redo the signs and make them bigger and flashier.

But we used the official logos and the colors, but also there are rules about how big signs can be, so they don't distract drivers.

- Yeah, and how separate they have to be, okay.

- Yes, there are a bunch of different things that we had to be cognizant of as we came up with this project.

- Let's mention some of these recipients here.

William Alchesay, the Mountain White Mountain Apache leader, Isaiah Mays, Buffalo Soldier in the Arizona territory.

Talk to us about some of these folks.

- Yeah, well, some of the acts of heroism are just really just phenomenal American stories.

Joe Foss, if you're familiar, I got to know him quite well.

Really enjoyed him as a person, you know, just a pilot who shot down a lot of planes in World War II in a very short period of time.

Was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Roosevelt and went on to become a commissioner of the American Football League for those who remember the American Football League.

- [Ted] Yes, yes, quite a life.

- And there's a Joe Foss way, I just drove by coming back from church just the other day.

You know, realistically, he was a phenomenal man.

And if you get to meet some of these American heroes, you realize they put it all on the line for their comrades in really, in a dangerous setting and earned their honor.

- A couple other mentions here, Manuel Mendoza the Arizona Kid, honored for his actions in World War II.

We mentioned the Buffalo Soldier and the White Mountain Apache leader.

So the Phoenix, I mean, is that basically literally how this got started?

You got a phone call from a Phoenix residence?

- [Jim] I did.

- And I got an idea for you.

- That's it.

And I really appreciate Archie bringing it to me.

I've known him for years.

He travels in political circles, but he was just out driving, I believe, visiting relatives or some such up north and saw this.

And he said, why don't we have something like this?

And you know what?

I didn't have a good answer.

- [Ted] Yeah.

- And so we were determined to do it.

I really appreciate the Streets department.

Sasha and others in that department who may be watching this know who they are, but they worked very hard on this to make this happen.

It's not as easy as it sounds when you look at all the rules and so forth.

And we wanted to be respectful of everybody too.

- [Ted] Right.

- And this was all happened during COVID, so we weren't able to do any kind of big kickoff like you might normally see.

So it didn't get the publicity for the recipients that you might have expected.

But I remember, you know, I got emotional the first time I drove and just realized these are the signs.

- [Ted] Yes.

- And you know they're coming, but still there they are.

- I was gonna say, how long the process does this take?

You mentioned streets and transportation.

It has to go through all the, I would imagine a number of hurdles.

- I believe about eight months.

We also wanted, frankly to be respectful of Archie's desires.

So we ran everything by him sometimes.

You know, he's a private citizen with his own life, so sometimes responses weren't, you know, immediate, but we did get it done in what I think is a timely fashion I believe start to finish, it's been a couple years now, maybe eight months.

- Wow, yeah.

What kind of reaction have you had so far?

- Yeah, people have written and called and said, hey, this is really, out-of-state people have looked up, not necessarily myself, but have found outlets at the city to say, hey, I saw this.

This was really great.

Maybe they take it back to their state just like Archie took his experience back to ours.

And you might see this in other states as well.

I haven't heard that, but it's certainly a possibility.

- Last question on something like this.

Is there a permanence involved?

I mean, we all know that if there's open land it's gonna be developed in some way, shape, or form eventually.

If that land gets developed, it's out there, but if it gets developed, do the signs stay?

Do they move?

Do you move 'em somewhere else?

How does that work?

- The signs stay, and we'll take care of the maintenance as well, because if you've ever seen a really old stop sign, they've made a better product now, but the sun will bleach the color right out.

- [Ted] Yes.

- I've seen completely white stop signs, and not for the city, but in parking lots and so forth.

Now they've got better products that frankly last longer.

And that's what we tried to do here.

But those signs should be there I would argue in perpetuity.

- Wow, well, congratulations on this.

It must be very satisfying to go out there and see that.

- Well, I hope it's satisfying for the families, you know?

Cause sadly mostly what we're talking about in the case of a Medal of Honor recipient.

So, you know, just really appreciate Archie's work, really appreciate the citizens who have written in to say that they, you know, have gotten something outta the signs.

And really the target audience is kids.

- Yeah.

- You know, to me that, that's, hey, what are those signs, dad?

Well, you know, this person, maybe they look up the people and so forth.

That's really what you're aiming for ultimately.

- Very good.

Jim Waring, Phoenix City Council.

Councilman, good to see you again.

- Good to see you, Ted.

Thank you.

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(upbeat music) (dramatic music) - We end our Memorial Day special with a conversation we had with Arizona Congressman Ruben Gallego about his military experiences.

Gallego served with the third Battalion 25th Marine Regiment in Iraq.

His company saw some of the worst fighting of the Iraq War, losing 22 Marines and a Navy corpsman to enemy action in just eight months.

Congressman Gallego talked to us about what Memorial Day means to him.

Hey, Congressman, good to see you again.

Thank you for joining us on Memorial Day here.

What does Memorial Day mean to you?

- I mean, for me it's a very rough day.

You know, I remember all my friends that I lost, but it gives me time to pause and actually, you know, think about them and remember, you know, who they were.

I don't remember their sacrifice.

I don't think about it that way.

I remember who they were, what men they were, and the lives that they lived.

And so guessing that day, in that way it does fulfill the goal of Memorial Day.

But it is not a pleasant day for me.

- Yeah, yeah, I would imagine.

Tell us your story.

Why you decided to join the Marines and what you found when you got there.

- I think I had always wanted to join the military.

And I, you know, largely it's because being a first generation American, my parents were both immigrants, I felt, you know, very patriotic, and I felt that I owed the nation a debt of gratitude and service.

And, you know, being of, you know, sound body and mind I felt that it was my responsibility to do it.

And I joined a new, didn't think it'd be a big sacrifice.

It's not like I went full-time active duty.

I didn't, you know, I joined the Reserves, Marine Corps reserves, and unfortunately we did find ourselves in a lot of combat.

But, you know, that's part of the job.

I always kind of assumed that may have happened, but my initial goal was just to be able to serve my country.

- You mentioned combat.

Your company saw some of the worst fighting of the Iraq war and 22 Marines and a Navy corpsman killed.

You talked about being a rough day for you.

Talk more about what you said in that how you remember these soldiers because there are variety.

- Marines.

- You can remember, these Marines, I'm sorry, these marines.

- Marines.

- There's a variety of ways to remember, and you tend to remember what, the better times?

Talk to us about this.

- Yeah, I tend to remember them as I knew them when they were alive.

I don't try to remember the causes of their death.

I do grieve obviously for them.

I think it's really important, especially if you have PTSD like I did, grieving is part of the process.

But you know, I dunno if I'll do it this year, but I usually go to mass to give them, give a little prayer for them and for their families.

But, you know, I try to, you know, I basically try to just relax on that day cause it's a very stressful day for me.

So I try not to really do anything that, you know, would require me to, I guess, like go out and be a member of Congress.

Cause it's a hard day for me.

- Yeah, yeah, you mentioned PTSD.

Losing Marines, losing friends, how did it change you?

- Well, you know, and they don't necessarily all go hand in hand.

You have PTSD for many reasons.

But, you know, I'm a different person from before the war and to who I am now.

And that does not necessarily mean that I'm a worse person.

I'm just changed, and I'm learning to cope with this disease.

You know, it doesn't make me irrational mad or anything like that, but it is a part of my life now, but it has also, not it has, not PTSD, but war has made me appreciate life more than anything else.

And what is worth fighting for and also what is worth enjoying.

You know, I now take the pleasures in the little things that I never took pleasures in before.

I now love spending, you know, uncommitted time with just friends and family and my son and my fiance.

You know, these are the things that I should have really appreciated before, and I didn't.

And I think I also appreciate the country more.

And even though I was against the Iraq war, and I think, you know, I think, you know, for a lot of reasons we lost men because of bad planning, bad administration, not enough equipment.

I have a great appreciation of this country because of what I saw and what my friends were willing to do and what I was willing to do for this country.

And, you know, it makes me feel more committed to making sure that this country continues going in the right direction.

- With that being said, as a Marine, how did just being a Marine change you?

I mean, do do you see it every day of your life in the discipline, the things that you learned?

- Yeah, I mean, it, you know, it's interesting.

I remember before the Marine Corps, you know I grew up without a father and really no, no, you know, male figure in my life except for my grandfather.

And then he died when I was in seventh grade.

And what that does, like I never really got to develop like the confidence that I think that I needed, you know, growing up.

And eventually I faked the confidence, right?

And, you know, fake it till you make it, but deep down, internally at the core I never really had a confidence I think that I needed to really push me and propel me.

The Marine Corps I think really helped me get that confidence that I was, you know, maybe seeking or trying to find.

And it made me I think the man that I am today, you know, I have been able to be very successful in my life, both in politics and in the private sector and in many areas because I have this basic understanding of who I am and that helps me propel forward.

Especially if you're a person of color, and you're, you know, operating in a world that's not really made for you, you need to have more confidence than not to kind of, you know, break through.

So it has made me a better person.

It's made me a more courageous person.

It's made me a better politician, not because it helps me say I'm a Marine, but I also am not afraid to buck the party line, whether it's the Democratic party line, the Republican party line or just anything.

And stick to my core values because at the deep, deep downside, I know who I am, right?

And one of the things you, when you get pretty close to death, and I came pretty close to dying a lot of times actually, you internally start looking at yourself and you start asking yourself like who you are in this world?

And if you die tomorrow, would you be proud of yourself?

So when you have those conversations as a young man, they don't ever leave you.

And when you become a, you know, older man now, I'm at 41, it sticks to you, and it certainly has helped me make some very hard decisions.

- Well, Congressman, we thank you very much for sharing your story on this special day, and we wish you the best on this day.

Thank you so much.

- Thank you.

Have a good one.

- And that is it for now.

I'm Ted Simons.

Thank you so much for joining us on this special edition of "Arizona Horizon."

You have a great evening.

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