{"id":9570,"date":"2019-12-06T12:37:52","date_gmt":"2019-12-06T17:37:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/fort-campbell-air-traffic-controller-unapologetically-native\/"},"modified":"2019-12-06T12:37:55","modified_gmt":"2019-12-06T17:37:55","slug":"fort-campbell-air-traffic-controller-unapologetically-native","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/fort-campbell-air-traffic-controller-unapologetically-native\/","title":{"rendered":"Fort Campbell air traffic controller \u2018unapologetically Native\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Tighson \u2018TI\u201d Lends His Horse, Fort Campbell air traffic controller and Air Force retiree from the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation in North Central South Dakota. (Photo courtesy Fort Campbell Courier)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

FORT CAMPBELL, Kentucky \u2013 Tighson \u201cTI\u201d Lends His Horse divides his time between his Family and controlling air traffic at Sabre Army Airfield. But regardless of where Lends His Horse is or what function he is performing, he always represents his proud heritage as a Mni\u2019coujou\/O\u2019ohenumpa Lakota warrior.
\nLends His Horse was born in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, where his tribe resides and his long line of ancestors called home. He is a retired Air Force Staff sergeant and is a sixth generation military service member in his Family.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s a cultural thing,\u201d Lends His Horse said. \u201cWe are a warrior society, it\u2019s a tradition in our tribe. My father is prior Army and Air Force, my mother is prior Army, and I come from a Family full of Marine and Navy veterans as well. We are able to help each other out and discuss what branch and career are right for each of us.\u201d
\nUpon deciding to follow in his Family\u2019s footsteps of serving in the military, a Family friend suggested he look into the air traffic control career field.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s a career of solving puzzles,\u201d Lends His Horse said. \u201cIt involves knowledge, mathematics, memory and problem-solving. There is so much more involved than just keeping one aircraft from hitting another. I struggled at first but I had very good mentorship from a civilian air traffic controller, Bob Schuetrum, and my best friend, Chris Hake, who now works at Campbell Army Airfield, and I was able to get through the training. From there, I never turned back and wanted to know everything there was to learn in the field.\u201d
\nTighson \u2018TI\u201d Lends His Horse, Fort Campbell air traffic controller and Air Force retiree, performed during the He\u2019Sapa Wacipi October 2014 in Rapid City, South Dakota.
\nOver the course of his 10-year Air Force career, Lends His Horse was stationed at Altus Air Force Base in Oklahoma, Osan American Air Force Base in South Korea, Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, and deployed to Southwest Asia.
\nAfter finishing his service, Lends His Horse took a year before deciding his next steps, eventually realizing he missed life as an air traffic controller.
\n\u201cI guess you can say it\u2019s a bit of an addiction,\u201d he said. \u201cIt can be exciting and stressful depending on the environment and the day, but I come to work every day and I enjoy the career field and have intentions of going further with it.\u201d
\nStaying connected is not just important to Lends His Horse, it\u2019s a form of survival in his opinion.
\nHe was fortunate to meet his wife three years ago from his own tribe, and together they have three children.
\nTogether, they have established a piece of their tribe and culture far from home, a safe haven to celebrate their heritage and identity.
\n\u201cWhere I come from and in my background, it\u2019s an impossibility to separate my culture from my identity,\u201d Lends His Horse said. \u201cI grew up always knowing who I was, where I came from and that was my life, everything else outside of that came after. The first time I went to a big city outside the reservation it was a culture shock for me. I only knew one thing. I\u2019ve always been a part of it.\u201d
\nLends His Horse and his Family speak their native language, Lakota, at home, they attend Pow Wows when they have the opportunity and they engage in spiritual practices often. According to Lends His Horse, his Family is \u201cunapologetically native\u201d and they are proud of it.
\n\u201cWe aren\u2019t all what the stereotypical Native American is perceived to be. We aren\u2019t all on a horse with a spear and war paint and war bonnet fighting the U.S. Cavalry,\u201d Lends His Horse said. \u201cI was rooted in my culture and that is what has kept me through my high school years and when I was away. Being Native was never hard, especially with a last name like Lends His Horse, you catch yourself always explaining your story and so you see everyone\u2019s eyes opening when they realize things they never thought of before about your culture. That\u2019s one thing the military has done, help me open eyes.\u201d
\nLends His Horse educates others about his culture, his heritage, and corrects misunderstandings and preconceived notions daily.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s a duty to not only be able to know your heritage and your culture, but to pass those teachings onto people because it does change a lot of perspective,\u201d he said. \u201cThe biggest rooting to my culture was wanting more knowledge to inform people correctly so there isn\u2019t misinterpretation of my people and of me.\u201d
\nIf there is one thing Lends His Horse wants people to remember it is how they choose to identify Native Americans.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t appreciate being called \u2018Indian\u2019 if you aren\u2019t Native American,\u201d he said. \u201cColumbus arrived believing he was in the East Indies, so the people he encountered, he naturally called Indians. But we aren\u2019t Indians. The term \u2018Indian\u2019 stuck, and many Native Americans view it as a slur. There just aren\u2019t enough of us to voice that this word is offensive for people to realize they are wrong in using the word.\u201d
\nHowever, Lends His Horse is generally supported and accepted in his daily life, especially by his coworkers and friends, and he remains steadfast in his warrior tradition by continuing to support the military mission.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re unmistakable, we\u2019re hard to miss, we\u2019re immersed in our culture,\u201d Lends His Horse said. \u201cI was able to move here to Tennessee and unite my culture with it as well. Everything has come full circle. I enjoy every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Tighson \u2018TI\u201d Lends His Horse, Fort Campbell air traffic controller and Air Force retiree from the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation in North Central South Dakota. (Photo courtesy Fort Campbell Courier) FORT CAMPBELL, Kentucky \u2013 Tighson \u201cTI\u201d Lends His Horse divides his time between his Family and controlling air traffic at <\/p>\n

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