Tribal Legacy: Culture, Dedication, Honor
by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jacob Wongwai December 2,
2022
Within the hot and dry landscape of New
Mexico resides the Isleta Pueblo Navajo tribe, where the people with
no electricity, no air conditioning or phones live off of the land,
hunt, farm, and nurture a rich culture for their members, as did U.S. Air Force Airman Elena Gallegos.
Airman 1st Class Elena Gallegos, 450th Intelligence Squadron geospatial intelligence apprentice, displays a tribal face painting in support of Isleta Pueblo Navajo tribe for Native American Heritage month at Ramstein Air Base, Germany
on November 11, 2022. Within her tribe special face paintings represent various traditions and events each expressing a different meaning. Gallegos wore this specific face painting to represent the people she has lost in the year. (Image
created by USA Patriotism! from U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jacob Wongwai.)
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Growing up on the reservation, she had to
learn various skills and work different jobs while understanding and
practicing her tribe's traditions, as they instilled the importance
of bettering oneself and in turn bettering the community. A way of
life very similar to the Air Force.
“Life on the reservation
is free and fun–there’s isn’t a large amount of stress that comes
with living on the reservation, but there are a lot of cultural
things we do inside our reservations,” said Airman 1st Class Elena
Gallegos, 450th Intelligence Squadron geospatial intelligence
apprentice “We have local festivities and provide a cultural
gathering to let people on the outside know our culture.”
In her youth, she lived off
the land, learned various skills and traditions that defined her
tribe, and accomplished her goals - but, she felt like she needed
more.
“There is no hurdle you cannot get over if you give
effort,”said Gallegos. “I ran thin on the things I could accomplish
in life on the reservation, and I wanted to explore more of the
outside world.”
Armed with the skills and work ethic that her
tribe instilled within her, she set out for a new adventure filled
with challenges and surprises and set her eyes on the U.S. Air
Force.
Gallegos braved this new experience, but it did not
fill her with fear and despair. Instead it gave her the excitement
and drive to embrace the new lifestyle, to embrace the Air Force
culture.
“The diversity, being around so many people with
different cultures and different languages, was surprising since I
never heard another language back home,” said Gallegos. “It was very
different and busy but also cool, and I didn't expect to meet so
many amazing people.”
As she progressed through the Air
Force, integrating within the community, learning new skills,
establishing important relationships and continuing to better
herself, she's reminded of how military lifestyle differs from
living in the tribe.
“I got used to the busy lifestyle that
the military brings,” said Gallegos. “When I go back home, where
it's more relaxed and you don't over exert yourself, I want to get
back to work..”
It was clear that these new experiences were
influencing the way Gallegos thought, but it did not change her at
her core.
Living the military lifestyle didn’t change or
alter her belief in her culture, but allowed her the opportunity to
show others that you can stay true to your culture and the Air
Force.
“I hope by talking about my culture that I can show
others that you can be comfortable expressing your culture,” said
Gallegos. “ I am grateful to have a place to share my thoughts.”
Though she isn’t stopping there as she plans for new avenues and
programs to help others and strengthen diversity within the Air
Force.
“I want to make a cultural program with some other
volunteers and bring a lot of diversity together to talk about our
cultures,” she said. “ I also want to create a self-defense class,
especially for women, and hope that I can help others in their
lives.”
Gallegos’s determination to help others provides an
important asset for Airmen at Ramstein Air Base and for diversity
throughout the Air Force – but that is not the only community she’s
hoping to help.
“I know my tribe has started to adapt to new
tools like using solar power,” said Gallegos. “And I’m hoping that
with everything that I've learned and experienced I can help the
elders in my tribe see and understand the new ways, which then would
help the younger generation adapt to the world.”
Every
experience, challenge and accomplishment has guided Gallegos and she
never forgot what defined her life within her tribe and her life
within the Air Force - that to better oneself is to better the
community.
---------------------- Minor editing
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