PROUD TO SERVE HER COUNTRY AND HER TRIBE
Leslie Heredia, Receiving the Good Conduct Medal. SK3 Heredia By L.E. David
Leslie (LittleBird) Heradia was born in Lawton, Oklahoma and raised in a traditional Cheyenne- Arapaho house. Her strict father had high expectations for his daughter. Her Grandmother and Great Grandmother were Chiefs in the Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribe. Eventually her family landed and sprouted roots in Geary, Oklahoma.
CVN 71, USS Theodore Roosevelt, The Big Stick. Prior to separation I was stationed on CVN 71
Arapaho Chief Tommie Rose Birdshead- Cravatt and Leslie Heredia. High School Graduation Geary, Oklahoma.
Like most restless teenagers, she spent many days wondering what life would hold after high school. Leslie decided as a senior her best opportunity to leave the small town was to join the Navy, and thanks to a chance visit from a local recruiter she did just that. Leslie joined the United States Navy in January 2001 and was set to ship out for boot camp in August 2001. “I wanted to get out of the small town and see the world. I felt the Navy could give me that opportunity and to be honest I didn’t think I would return,” Leslie explained. “Boot camp was at the Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Illinois,” said Leslie. It was August 2001 and the world was a different place. For new recruits it was about to become a world no recruit ever expected. “On September 11th we fi nished breakfast and began cleaning when we heard about the terrorist attacks. Our RDC (Recruit Division Commander) gathered us together and informed us of the attack. They rolled a television into the room for us to watch. Some people were devastated, while others were watching in disbelief.” After the base was put on lockdown, Leslie quickly realized this was a real-world situation and she would probably be going to war.
After boot camp Leslie was stationed in Mississippi
for her Tech School to become an Aviation Store Keeper. Upon completing her training, she was stationed at NAS Oceana in Virginia Beach, Virginia. There she became a member of the USS Harry S. Truman. The VFA Fighter Squadron 37 or the “Ragin’ Bulls” have a storied history in the United States Navy, having started in 1967. For Leslie it meant a chance to become part of the Shock & Awe mission early in the war on terrorism. The F/A-18 Hornets that were part of that mission came from the USS Harry S. Truman. Life had defi nitely changed for this young lady from Geary, Oklahoma.
Leslie (LittleBird) Heradia left life in the small town of Geary, Oklahoma, to see the world by joining the Navy with no intention of returning, only to be drawn back by the power of prayer and a chance meeting with her future husband.
By
“We deployed for six months and visited many ports including France, Greece, Slovenia, and England. During that deployment is when I met my future husband,” said Leslie. Once home on leave her uncle told her about his calendar that counted down the days until she returned home. Her father even prayed for something to bring her back. Little did they know she had no intentions of returning, and making the Navy a career was her goal. What Leslie didn’t know was Efrain Heradia, the young man she met on the USS Harry S. Truman, while on deployment, would become her husband and the father of her children. He was from Oklahoma City only a few minutes from where she lived. Her father’s prayer was answered. After marriage and pregnancy, Leslie fi nished her enlistment in Norfolk, Virginia, on the USS Theodore Roosevelt. She was Honorably Discharged at the rank of E4 (3rd Class Petty Offi cer) and the journey home began. “Meeting my husband on the other side of the planet, who was from the same area I was, brought me back home and answered the prayers of my father,” said Leslie.
The pride Leslie has for having served her country is almost as deep as the pride she has for her tribe. As a Cheyenne-Arapaho she is very proud of the fact that her Great Grandmother, Rose Birdshead, and her Grandmother, Tommie Rose Birdshead-Cravatt, were two strong women and tribe leaders people admired. Current Chief, Francis Birdshead, also belongs to that same line of strong, proud women. “It’s a great sense of pride for me because as Cheyenne-Arapaho women we show we are strong and capable of leading. It’s something I learned in the Navy as well.” “Today I work in the Department of Administration
as the Administrative Assistant. My two children, Seth and Alexis, are growing up, and Seth has shown he has a special connection to the tribe and our people. The Cheyenne-Arapaho are like no other. We pray and we celebrate; our prayers have real meaning.” Leslie continued to explain. “The Navy taught me many great things I use in my life every day. It’s a great way for young people to start their life. The Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribe is proud of all the men and women that have served our country, and we’re proud to be members of this great tribe.”
VETERAN FAMILY NETWORK h AUGUST 2011 37
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52