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Empowering Navajo Veterans through Service - Part 3
November 3-5, 2026
Disaster Relief in the Navajo Nation: DAV Delivers Relief,
Benefits Assistance, and Lasting Support
The weekends of October 24th and October 31st proved to be deadly and devastating in the Arizona's lands of the Navajo Nation. Both weekends were punctuated by torrential rains and winds, followed by the cold nights of an approaching winter season. Residents of the Reservation were chased from their homes by rising waters and creeks/washes turning into raging rivers. Hundreds of homes were damaged. Dozens of homes were damaged beyond repair and were total losses.
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But what would happen next would be both comforting and lifesaving for the Reservation's Native American Veterans and their families.
The DAV Department of Arizona team was originally scheduled to arrive in Chinle, AZ, on November 3rd in order to present a National Service Office Seminar and do VA claims work on the 4th, followed by additional VA claims work at all three Navajo Remote Service Offices the morning of the 5th. BUT...Mother Nature had other ideas...
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And so, with the same team, we pivoted to a combination Disaster Relief operation and VA benefits mission, Our Phoenix National Service Office and Region 12 Supervisor, Aunjel Smith, was instrumental in accomplishing both.
Department Adjutant Carl Forkner helped lay the groundwork with All-Navajo Veterans Auxiliary President Sara Josley and Vice President Walter Barrington. When vehicles started arriving from the Phoenix area in the afternoon of November 3rd, the Hogan behind Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church in Chinle was open and ready to start receiving the donated goods. As the donations continued to arrive, vehicle by vehicle, Aunjel Smith got right to work upon her arrival, evaluating the damages and losses suffered by Reservation residents and issuing DAV National Disaster Relief Program funds to help the Veterans and their families until other, more permanent assistance arrives.
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Before we departed for the Reservation, Department Adjutant Carl Forkner ordered 16 cords of firewood (8 cords in two trucks each trip) for delivery to two distribution centers on the Reservation--one up north and one in the south. When the delivery was made, they delivered a fifth load, saying that the people had once helped out the owner, and it was his turn to help them!
As you will learn, in the Native American world, relationships matter!
The morning of November 5th started with an NSO Seminar led by Aunjel Smith. An unfortunate reality is that, until Department of Arizona began serving the Navajo Veteran Community through our Remote Service Offices, many of the Veterans and their families had no idea about many of the benefits to which they may be entitled. Pictured are residents listening to the NSO Seminar presentation, with some of the donated goods behind them.
Following the question-and-answer period at the end of the NSO Seminar, it was time to get down to the one-on-one attention our Navajo Veterans and their families needed. Some of this was accomplished through the many Chapter Service Officers and Department Service Officers who made the journey to assist the Navajo Veteran Community.
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We had CSOs from numerous DAV Chapters throughout Arizona: 1 in Phoenix, 4 in Tucson, 20 in Glendale, 24 in Surprise, Chapter 38 in Sahuarita/Green Valley, and 39 in Oro Valley. Chapter 16 in Prescott also contributed significant items, including sleeping bags.
​While the CSOs/DSOs interviewed Veterans and Surviving Spouses for potential VA benefits, and other attendees gathered necessary supplies from all the donated goods, NSO Aunjel Smith and Department Adjutant Carl Forkner worked to manage the entitlement and distribution of DAV National Service Program funds to those impacted by the widespread flooding.
Also following the NSO Seminar, our Navajo Veteran Community attendees were able to avail themselves of the variety of donations--many of them brand new; all in good condition and clean. Food, clothes, coats, blankets & quilts, sleeping bags and more were theirs for the taking. By the time the day was over, all that remained were three cans of tuna and a case of bottled water...
This is a special picture from the event. National Commander Coleman Nee came to Arizona in July of this year to observe what kind of work we were doing with our Native American Veteran Community. During the trip, he and 2nd junior Vice Commander Glenn Hohman had a tour of some of the homes on the Reservation from Sara Josley. When they visited this lovely surviving spouse's home, they were shocked to see the conditions in which she lived; leaking roof, gaps in the floorboards that you could stick your hand through, an old potbelly stove with two rusted out sides for heat sitting 5 feet inside the front door, and no ability to keep out dirt, dust, or even small creatures. We were extremely happy to see her and be able to provide assistance to her. Before she left, she honored us in a traditional speech of gratitude that shows the depth and breadth of gratitude for those who helped her, and also serves to teach the younger generations of Navajo the true depth and meaning of gratitude and respect.
On November 5th, a special presentation took place at our Kayenta Remote Service Office. Mrs. Begay lost her home--and everything in it--when it burned down last year. The loss included one of her most special possessions--the burial flag from her Veteran husband's funeral.
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Sara Josley contacted Department Commander Bruce Nogar about the possibility of replacing the flag with a memorial flag like the one that was lost in the fire. We were able to order a full-size memorial flag in a nice wooden case in time for our visit. The picture shows ANVA President Sara Josley who, along with NSO Supervisor Aunjel Smith, presented the flag to Mrs. Begay on behalf of Disabled American Veterans. She was very thankful to have regained a visual remembrance of her husband's service.
Although we really did not have the time--or the safe roads--to see much in the way of historical areas of the Reservation, one such relic was right next door to Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church, which hosted us for the event.
We had a fabulous team of volunteers for this disaster relief and service trip. Some of the volunteers came from as far away as a 7-hour drive to bring donations and their own talent to the Reservation. The picture shows a few of our volunteers: Department Sr. Vice Rod Hage (Ch 24), Donations Coordinator Tineke Hage (Ch 24), Sara Josley (ANVA President), Department Commander Bruce Nogar (Ch 38), Communications and Outreach Chair Ray Drake (Ch 20 Cmdr), and Walter Barrington (ANVA Vice President). Also working this whole trip were Jeri Harwood (Ch 4), Department Treasurer Kevin Karvinen (Ch 39), Northern District Liaison Debbie Roberts (Ch 1), Wayne Stovall (Ch 24), John & Judy Gerlach (Ch 24), and Logistics Coordinator Lorrain Browning (Ch 24).
Last but not least, Native American and Rural Veteran Outreach Program architect and Program Director, Department Adjutant Dr. Carl Forkner, and the finest NSO Supervisor--both state and regional--the incomparable Aunjel Smith.
NATIVE AMERICAN SYMBOLS
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The Crossed Arrows: Represents friendship, alliance, and a peaceful meeting between different peoples.
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