Personal Narrative: I Am Proud To Be A Native American

First off, I was born in Gallup, New Mexico in the McKinley County Indian Hospital, in 1976, to a half Zuni/Spanish native, and a Hispanic Apache mother, and growing up I saw and suffered a lot of abuse, and a very unstable youth. My father and mother divorced when I was a baby, and my stepfather was very abusive, to me and my mother for many years, until he was arrested for killing my mother's best friend. After that, I saw the effect that abuse had on my mother, and she became a victim of drug and alcohol addiction, so eventually my little brother, sisters, and I was taking into Child Protective Custody. We were separated at first, and I had a few good foster parents, and a couple really evil ones, but eventually I was placed with a family who allowed us all to be
I finished high school, joined the military, but that whole time I kept in contact and remained very close to my mother, and eventually re-connected with my real father. I was always proud of being Native, but it wasn't until I began learning about the true history of treatment towards my people, that I felt some urge to do something. My childhood, and military experience gave me a unique mixture of learning traits. Some lessons I learned by watching the results of those mistakes, and others I failed a few times, but I never allowed myself to be consumed by the evil one. I always knew God was there, and protecting me for something special, and I have lived through many near death experiences. However, I don't feel sorry for my upbringing, because I learned and advanced from a very timid and scared individual, to this very strong and compassionate person who speaks out for those people. This has brought me across the country from Virginia, to New Mexico, and then Cannonball, North Dakota, by having faith and following what I believe is God's path