http://www.wmicentral.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19731747

The day McCain showed his colors

By: Jo Baeza, The Independent
05/30/2008

WHITERIVER - It's been nearly 20 years since I sat next to Sen. John McCain
in a helicopter flying over the White Mountains, but I remember my
impression of the man: a steady gaze, keen intellect and a passion to do
what is right.

On March 29, 1989, the White Mountain Apache Tribe honored McCain as a
warrior and as a United States senator. At the time, I was editor of the
tribal newspaper, the Fort Apache Scout.

Photographer Bennett Cosay, Stewart Nicholas and I were invited to a
luncheon at Sunrise to honor the former naval officer and POW.

Tribal Chairman Reno Johnson had invited him to tour the reservation.
McCain was expecting to go on a fact-finding tour. He wasn't expecting a
hero's welcome. When he stepped off the helicopter onto the landing strip
in Whiteriver, he had a smile that would charm a grizzly bear. He wasn't
wearing a military uniform with medals. He wasn't even wearing a suit and
tie. He was dressed to work - jeans, flannel shirt and sneakers.

As protocol would have it, his first act was to greet a row of tribal
elders who had been sitting in the sun waiting for him. He bent down to
speak to each one personally. His first stop was a tour of Fort Apache
Timber Company with Supervisor Fernando Martin who explained the process
timber goes through to become lumber. At the planing mill, Supervisor
Lincoln Sanchez spoke to him about their training and working conditions.

McCain went on with his tribal guides to tour Apache Manufacturing which at
that time was making parts for the Apache helicopter. Back in the
helicopter, he flew over Alchesay National Fish Hatchery, McKay's Peak,
Hawley Lake, and the west end of the Fort Apache Reservation. The tour
ended at Sunrise Resort Hotel where a large number of people were gathered
for an honor ceremony.

Fittingly, VFW Post 2364 and Whiteriver American Legion Post 60 posted the
Colors. There were the usual speeches, then Tribal Chairman Reno Johnson
presented McCain with the White Mountain Apache Medal of Valor. McCain is a
tough battle-forged man, but he was visibly moved when he said, "The
highest percentage of casualties in the Vietnam War of any ethnic group was
from Native Americans."

He told the audience he would keep the Apache Medal of Valor in his
Washington, D.C., office with the photos of his father and grandfather,
both of whom were four-star admirals in the U.S. Navy. He pledged to try to
make his colleagues in the Senate more aware of the issues facing tribes.
He said, "Over the past eight years, the nation has experienced
unprecedented growth and prosperity from which the majority of Americans
have profited, but there have been pockets of Americans left behind . . .
We must give them the same opportunities other Americans have. We can no
longer ignore our Native Americans."

He listened to Apache leaders speaking about issues close to home. Johnson
briefed him on the Tribal Council's recent management decision to reduce
the number of board feet of timber harvested even though it lowered the
tribe's income.

McCain stated his philosophy, one that hasn't changed significantly to this
day. He said, "I believe the role of the federal government is to encourage
self-sufficiency, and work toward the goal of Indian self-government
without federal interference."

He said, "Many of the things I've seen here could be a model for other
reservations." He suggested the formation of "economic enterprise zones"
and actively seeking out corporations to locate on reservations instead of
going overseas.

By the time the luncheon was over, it was too late for my interview with
McCain. He was already behind schedule. I guess he saw my disappointment,
so he said, "Why don't you fly back to Whiteriver with me and we can talk
on the way?"

I'd never flown in a helicopter, and I could hardly contain my excitement.
I was trying hard to look like a seasoned journalist as I pulled on my
helmet and buckled up.

With genuine modesty, he said that he was "embarrassed by the warm
reception" he received from the Apache people.

He said, "I hope one of the reasons that I got such a warm reception is
that I have been involved in Indian issues for the past seven years." He
said he had been keeping close watch on Native American issues, especially
those in Arizona, since he had been elected to the U.S. House of
Representatives.

In 1989 he was the senior Republican on the Senate Select Committee for
Indian Affairs. In addition to his work on the committee, he saw his role
as explaining issues facing Native people to others in Washington. He said,
"Not only is there a vast lack of knowledge about Indian affairs in the
country as a whole, but frankly, there is a lack of concern."

As we were coming into Whiteriver, I asked him why he cared about Native
issues when their voting power is relatively insignificant. "Your
involvement in Indian affairs is probably going to cost you votes in
Arizona," I said.

He looked at me with that now-famous frown and said, "You do some things
just because they are the right thing to do."

I don't know if ambition has changed John McCain. I hope not. I like to
remember him in jeans and a flannel shirt sitting next to me in a
helicopter flying low over the White Mountains.