Veterans Day on the San Carlos Apache Reservation is a time to honor tribal members who have served their country, and every year the San Carlos Veterans Association holds its annual tribute to all veterans, past and present, with a parade, carnival, rodeo, pow-wow, and various other activities.
As the tribe celebrates tribal veterans in November, the San Carlos Unified School District recognizes the employees who served their country and bring an ethos of service to their work in the district.
“The American Indian population, the indigenous people, have served more on a percentage level across the nation than any other nationality,” says SCUSD Transportation Director Carol Slim. “It's very important for San Carlos. A lot of the service from our individuals who volunteer comes from families that served prior, so there's a lot of pride in the families of military personnel.”
Slim has worked for the district for 16 years as a building administrator prior to becoming the transportation supervisor.
Growing up on the reservation with parents who did not view education as a priority, Slim joined the Army right out of high school at the age of 17 “to get as far away from the reservation as possible.”
She served four years in the mid-1980s and used her GI Bill to go to college, first at the former Gila Pueblo and Eastern Arizona College and then at the University of New Mexico.
She met her husband of 38 years in the Army, and after they served, he went to work for the Navajo Nation, where Slim raised three children — their “army surplus” — and attended college.
Her oldest son Brandon also served in the Army, including a tour in Afghanistan. Upon his return, Brandon suffered from PTSD for 13 years, and passed away on Aug. 1, 2023.
“He was very proud to be a veteran and is buried at the Peridot National Cemetery,” Slim says. “As parents, we were very proud of him and he was proud of himself, for having served in the military. That pride is something that's personal to me.”
Her work in the Army as a Flight Operations Coordinator, Flight Operations Specialist, as well as growing up on the reservation, uniquely qualify her for her position.
It also showed her the advantages of working with other “mission oriented” veterans, such as Eugene Dillon, a San Carlos Apache Tribe member who also served in the Army in the 1980s.
Dillon served in Operation Desert Storm as a transportation specialist and on two tours with the National Guard in the Second Gulf War, where he was assigned to the First Marine Division, charged with cleaning up the city of Fallujah.
Retired from the Arizona Department of Corrections, Dillon has been a driver for the district for three years after being a part-time driver for the Globe School District for nine years.
“I think the military actually instills in its veterans to give back to the community, and I appreciate that,” Dillon says. “The kids that need guidance don't come from the best environment at home, they really need some correction, so when you see someone on a negative path that can end in a negative lifestyle, you can set a good example.”
Slim appreciates the camaraderie and rapport she developed with Dillon through their service as well as his dedication and service to the students.
“It's really important for him to make sure that he reaches them at a one-to-one level,” Slim says. “He's always checking on kids, checking on families, checking in when he doesn't see them coming to school.”
Another veteran serving the SCUSD who shares military experience, but with a much different upbringing, is reading specialist Robin Link, who grew up in Massachusetts but has now lived on the reservation for the 10 years she's been employed at Rice Elementary School.
She also served in the 1980s, and although she could have entered the military as an officer, she chose instead to join the Air Force as an enlisted airman.
“I think to be a good leader, you need to be a good follower of those in command,” Link says. “I didn't want to have anything extra, nothing special. I wanted to learn about all the different groups, and it has followed me all along the way.”
Link came to Arizona in 1981 and joined shortly after earning her bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona. After her service, she attended Northern Arizona University, where she earned a masters degree in Educational Leadership.
She was living in Safford when she was hired, but moved to San Carlos to better understand the people she is serving.
“I thought if I'm going to teach a people that I do not know, I'm going to be right there with them learning and going through the same hardships,” Link says. “I am thankful for the time that I've served. I've done it because I've always been patriotic. I have always been a leader, and I think that my world is bigger than me.”
Like Link, teacher Randy Owen comes from outside of the reservation — he grew up in Benson, graduating from high school in 1980 — but has been with the district in various capacities for more than a decade.
He currently teaches World History, but his roles have varied from reading specialist at Rice to teaching ninth-grade English, with a two-year stint at the alternative school prior to its merge with the high school.
His military career was as diverse as his teaching career, and he spent his 13 years as a Combat Engineer in the Marines in Okinawa, Korea, North Carolina, and even in the Arctic Circle.
Owen also went to a number of Arizona colleges, including EAC and NAU, as well as Western New Mexico University for two semesters.
Ultimately, he joined the military to help improve his lot in life. He also appreciates the camaraderie he enjoyed in the Marines and that he shares with fellow veterans.
“You want to join because you got that belonging thing,” he says. “In my family, we didn't go to college, plain and simple. So, the service was the way to do that.”
SCUSD Superintendent Shawn Pietila says he appreciates the work ethic veterans bring to their work and the sacrifices they have made for their country.
“Our veterans bring that sense of commitment and duty to their jobs every single day,” says. “It's an honor to work with the selfless individuals who have given so much back to our country and community.”
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