Fifteen names, one legacy: Sweetgrass First Nation set to honour its veterans

The day will begin with a pipe ceremony at 8:30 a.m., followed by a grand entry at 9 a.m., a Sweetgrass School presentation at 9:30 a.m., and speeches from dignitaries at 10:30 a.m. The laying of wreaths will take place at 11:11 a.m., with lunch at noon and a branch meeting afterward.

Whitecalf said Sweetgrass has hosted the event for the past couple of years after being approached by the veterans’ association.

The Sweetgrass Community Centre. (Sweetgrass First Nation/Facebook)

The 15 Sweetgrass veterans being remembered

• Private Norman Standinghorn — Served in Britain and France during the First World War (1915–1919).

• Private Louis White Owl — Served in Canada, Britain and France; killed in action in 1918 (WWI).

• Private David Mathew Swindler — Enlisted in 1941; active by 1943 (WWII).

• Private Thomas Opwam — Served in Canada, Britain and Northwest Europe through 1946 (WWII).

• Private Albert Simeon Atcheynum — Served in Canada, 1941–1942 (WWII).

• Private David Whitford — Served in Labrador, Canada, Britain and Northwest Europe; killed in action in 1944 (WWII).

• Gunner Alex White — Served in Canada, Britain, Central Mediterranean and Northwest Europe, 1942–1945 (WWII).

• Private Philip Favel — Served in Canada, Britain and Northwest Europe, 1942–1945 (WWII).

• Private John Fineday — Served in Canada, 1944–1945 (WWII).

• Sidney Fineday — Served in the Second World War (1944–1946) and the Korean War (1952–1955).

• Private George Henry Atcheynum — Served in Canada, 1944–1945 (WWII).

• Private Louie Opwam — Served in Canada, the United States and the Far East, 1952 (Korean War).

• Private Carl Davis Atcheynum — Served in Canada and the Far East, 1954 (Korean War).

• Private Harvey Albert Wuttunee — Served in Canada, 1951–1953 (Korean War).

• Private Henry Beaudry — Served in Canada, Italy, Austria and Germany; prisoner of war in 1945 (WWII).

“I grew up knowing the majority of them, other than the ones that were killed in action,” explained Whitecalf. “A lot of them didn’t share [stories] — they kept it to themselves — but they did talk about the countries they saw. All of them are remarkable.”

“All of them were special.”

She said remembering those stories is essential to preserving community history and teaching the next generation.

“There’s a lot of our history, especially as First Nations people, that is oral history that we don’t learn,” she said.

Whitecalf explained that while she learned general Canadian history in school, the history of Sweetgrass came from home — through ceremonies, stories, and the voices of parents and grandparents.

That heritage, she added, is tied deeply to the land itself. The Cree word for Sweetgrass — “Nakîwaciy” — means “where the hills end.”

“If you see the geographical layout of the land, you can see where the hills actually end,” she said. “That was what First Nations people knew Sweetgrass as.”

Whitecalf said the annual ceremony is as much about honouring those who served as it is about ensuring their stories live on.

Around 150 people are expected to attend this year’s service, including veterans, local leaders and dignitaries from neighbouring communities.

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com

by Kenneth Cheung

Fifteen names, one legacy: Sweetgrass First Nation set to honour its veterans

The 15 Sweetgrass veterans being remembered

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