Oregon’s Coquille Tribe and Veterans Affairs Forge Historic Partnership to Appoint First Tribal Veterans Service Officer

A Memorandum of Understanding between the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs (ODVA) and the Coquille Tribe was signed at a ceremony on Tribal land in North Bend. This is the fifth Memorandum of Understanding between the ODVA and recognized Oregon Indian Tribes.

A Veterans Service Officer Will Now be Appointed

The agreement – signed by ODVA director Dr. Nakeia Daniels and Tribal Council vice-chair Jen Procter – paves the way for the first Tribal Veterans Service Officer (TVSO) to serve the Coquille community.

The Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs has established a network of services offered in collaboration with Tribal governments and counties.

Appointed Tribal Veterans Service Officers provide assistance and expertise to help veterans and their families access benefits that have been earned through military service.

ODVA director, Dr. Daniels explains that the new ODVA officer position will be jointly funded by his department and the Coquille Tribe. ‘It is a shared commitment to honor and serve those who wore the uniform,’ says Dr. Daniels, adding that Native Americans ‘continue to serve at a higher rate than any other ethnic group.’

The Memorandum of Understanding is ODVA’s fifth with Oregon’s nine federally recognized Tribes.

They include the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, and the Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Tribe of Indians.

The Coquille Tribe has lived in Oregon’s southwestern corner for thousands of years. The area boasts forests, beaches, and rivers in a homeland encompassing more than 750,000 acres.

The Coquille Tribe was restored to federal recognition in 1989, 35 years after Congress declared the Tribe “terminated” in 1954.

Today, there are more than 1,200 Coquille Indians who have regained more than 10,000 acres of ancestral homeland and manage most of the sustainable forests. The Tribe makes a substantial contribution to the local economy, providing assistance with education, health care, and services for the elderly. It also offers assistance with housing, if needed. The Coquille Tribe employs about 1,000 people.

For more about the Coquille Indian Tribe, visit: coquilletribe.org. To learn more about veteran benefits, resources, and services, or to schedule an appointment with a local Veteran Service Officer, visit:  www.oregon.gov/odva/Services/Pages/Tribal-Veteran-Services.aspx.