A female Native American Army veteran continues to give back to her community long after her military service.
Bernadine (Bernie) Tyler was born, raised and lives on the Navajo Nation in Shiprock, New Mexico. The youngest of 12 children, she became interested in joining the armed forces as early as her sophomore year in high school and joined the Army after graduating.
“I decided early on that I was going to be a Navajo female warrior if you will,” she said.
She worked as a Microwave Systems Operator/Maintainer for five years with an additional three years in the Reserves. Following her stint in the Army, Tyler worked in information technology and administration. Today, she serves as the program lead for the Diné Naazbaa Partnership program, supporting Navajo Nation's veterans, their families, and caregivers through the America’s Warrior Partnership Community Integration Model.
“We bridge the gap between the veteran and our partners,” Tyler said.
Tyler said Native American veterans are one of the least supported veterans groups in the country with reservations being severely unsupported in terms of infrastructure, making the transition back to civilian life complex and disjointed.
Related
The Navajo Nation stretches over three states – New Mexico, Arizona and Utah - and 27,413 square miles. According to the Navajo Nation Veterans Administration, it is home to approximately 14,000 veterans.
“We remember our veterans in this community. It’s remote, it's rural out here,” Tyler said. “You don’t really forget a face.”
The partnership supports Native American veterans and improves their quality of life through the coordination of local services and opportunities; from housing and employment to enrollment in Department of Veterans Affairs benefits to healthcare and recreation to transportation.
Tyler connects with her fellow Navajo veterans not only through the shared military experience but through their common language.
“We have that connectedness with me speaking Navajo,” she explained.
Tyler said the partnership is focused on the needs of individual Navajo veterans.
“We come to veterans, we ask them how are doing,” she said. “This is not a short-term bond, this is a lifelong bond.”
Tyler explained that while the rest of the world has primarily moved on from the COVID pandemic, the Navajo Nation is still reeling from its side effects, including food insecurity and poverty; homelessness and mental health issues.
The partnership uses a four-step plan to reach Navajo veterans that includes connecting on a personal level, education, advocating on their behalf and collaborating with organizations that can provide support.
Related
“Can you believe we are in the year 2023 and some of us don’t have access to running water and electricity,” she asked. “Where are we going to put our food? We don’t have a refrigerator. Those are some of the issues that people should see.”
A lack of cell phone towers and WiFi service can also leave Navajo veterans feeling isolated from their community, Tyler said.
“We don’t have a transportation system that can transport veterans,” she said.
Tyler said the partnership utilizes local veterans' service organizations and the media to reach out to Navajo vets.
“Radio stations announce their names over the airwaves,” she said. “Whatever we can to reach out to these veterans is what we’re going to do. At the end of the day, we want their quality of life to be sustained.”
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.