Colorado Rep. Larry Don Suckla (R-Cortez), our newest House District 58 representative to the Colorado General Assembly, has gotten off to an impactful start.<\/p>\n
He recently cosponsored House Joint Resolution 25-1019 \u201cHonoring and recognizing the military service and contributions of Native American veterans and communities.\u201d (Journal<\/em><\/a>,<\/em> Feb. 14).<\/p>\n Suckla\u2019s sprawling district includes Delta, Dolores, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Montrose, Ouray, San Miguel and parts of Montezuma County, home to the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe.<\/p>\n Both Ute Mountain Ute Chairman Manuel Heart and Southern Ute Indian Tribe Chairman Melvin Baker visited the Capitol for the vote on the resolution. Suckla was asked to walk them down the center aisle.<\/p>\n A prime sponsor of the resolution, Suckla joined with House Majority Leader Monica Duran (D-Wheatride) and Sens. Cleave Simpson (R-Alamosa) and Matt Ball (D-Denver) in the Senate. Of 100 legislators in the Assembly, 94 supported the resolution, including House District 59 Rep. Katie Stewart (D-Durango).<\/p>\n In his comments, Suckla did something not many Republicans (at least in Congress) are doing \u2013 recognizing and acknowledging Native Americans as the first peoples, the people who inhabited land before the Europeans arrived, and their important contributions to our country.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a humbling experience to honor people who were here first,\u201d he said. \u201cI grew up with the Ute tribe. I went to school with them, and since I was born, we\u2019ve been lifelong friends.\u201d<\/p>\n The resolution (read it at https:\/\/bit.ly\/3QyhS4M<\/a>) eloquently chronicles the \u201ccontributions, sacrifices, and disproportionate service of Native American veterans\u201d as integral to the historical success of the U.S. military.<\/p>\n Those contributions include having served with distinction for over 200 years in every major conflict dating back to the Revolutionary War.<\/p>\n Over 12,000 Native Americans \u2013 men and women \u2013 served in World Wars and many did so voluntarily. As did some yet without U.S. citizenship.<\/p>\n Over 42,000 Native Americans served in Vietnam, and 10,000 in the Korean War, with hundreds of lives lost in each conflict and many injured. Today, 31,000 Native Americans and Alaska Natives are on active duty serving around the world.<\/p>\n Approximately 60 Southern Ute veterans served in the U.S. military, including the Baker and Box families, who sacrificed their lives in service to our country. The resolution recognizes both the Ute Mountain Ute and Southern Ute Tribes as serving important leadership roles in the United Veterans Coalition of Colorado.<\/p>\n Readers will recall that over 400 Native Americans served as Code Talkers in World War II, and used their knowledge of Navajo and other Native American languages to transmit messages. These Native languages are the same the U.S. government had worked to suppress and eradicate since the late 1800s.<\/p>\n In a grim repeat of history, the current administration is at it again with its aggressive immigration agenda, in the mix of targeting undocumented immigrants, is looking at tribal members as noncitizens (Journal<\/em><\/a>, Jan. 28).<\/p>\n