Indigenous Veterans Day: Meet 3 First Nations soldiers and veterans from Sask.

In honour of National Indigenous Veterans Day on Sunday, meet three First Nations men from Saskatchewanwho have served or are serving in the military.

Joel Pedersen

It was only natural that Joel Pedersen joinedthe Canadian Armed Forces, as both his parents served along with family members tracingback to both World Wars.

Pedersen, 50, a member of the Fond du Lac Denesuline First Nation in northern Saskatchewan, servedas aUN peacekeeper and in the army reserve for 32 years. He was also in the Saskatoon Police Service for 25 of those years, retiring in 2017.

"I served my country through the army and my community through the police service for pretty much my whole adult life," said Pedersen.

"It has always been a goal for me to be a police officer and this is just the journey I went on toward that goal."

Pedersen joined the army, travelling to France, Egypt, Italy and Wales during his time there.

The father of fournow works part-time as the regimentalsergeant major for the 38th Canadian Brigade Group, 3rd Canadian Division, where Pedersen worksas the Indigenous adviser to the Brigade Commander withan army reserve unit headquarteredin Winnipeg, as well as operatingfitness and security businesses.

For the past 10 years, Pedersen has been offering free health and wellness classes to people in Saskatoon's inner city and innorthern Saskatchewan,in addition to training Indigenous fitness instructors.

Pedersen says learning lessons on leadership and community through the militaryhas helped him to remove barriers to offer inclusive programming for all ages and abilities.

"It's about that overall umbrella of wellness. Being able to inspire and enable people is a really amazing feeling.It's humbling to see men and women become successful."

Evan Taypotat

Evan Taypotat, 41, chief of the Kahkewistahaw First Nation located 175 kilometres north of Regina,became a private in the Canadian Armed Forces Bold Eagle program, an introductory program aimed at Indigenous youth in western Canada, in 1998. He went on to join the1st Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantryandserved in Afghanistan as part of Canada's MissionTransition Task Force in 2011.

"It turns out a lot of those leadership skills I gained from serving within Bold Eagle and the Armed Forces I was able to use as a leader," said Taypotat.

He saidfacing challenges head on with discipline and hard work is what is taught in basic training and he learnedthe importance of teamwork.

"Standing in the rain digging a trench with somebody from Alberta, Manitoba or Nova Scotia, you learn to rely on your team," he said.

Taypotat saidthose skills have helped himlead his community with his council,as a team.

Currently there are six living war veterans on Kahkewistahaw First Nation.Due toCOVID-19,Taypotat said there will be a small ceremony on the First Nation this year, following public health guidelines for physicaldistancing.

Taypotat said it'simportanttohonourthose who fought, and those that didn't make it back.

"Not too many Canadians know that the soldiers that fought in WWI or WWII did it in far worse conditions;they didn't have the technology we have.So we have to honour them, as well as those that made the ultimate sacrifice."

Wyatt Pratt

Wyatt Pratt, 20, originally fromCoteFirst Nation located277 kilometresnortheast of Regina, isin his first year of serving as a private first class withthe United States army.

His family lived in both Canada and the United States, butsettled in Washington state where Pratt enlisted in the Washington Army National Guard in 2019 at the age of 19.

"I've always wanted to join the army since I was little. There was always someone from each generation of my family that was in the army," said Pratt.

Currently Pratt is serving a tour overseas andhas spent time in Poland, North Carolina and Oklahoma.

"It's tough being away from family a lot of the time, but I really enjoy and love my job."

Pratt said after being deployed,he appreciates NationalIndigenous Veterans Day and Remembrance Day in a new way.

"This time of year I think about our grandfathers that served and about those that didn't get to come back," he said.

"You don't realize until you'rein the army the importance of those battle connections with people they are all you have to rely on. True heroes are the ones who gave the ultimate sacrifice to protect others and what they believe in."

Pratt will hold a small ceremony on IndigenousVeterans Day with his platoon.