BY COLLEEN KEANE
SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
ALBUQUERQUE — Raymond Lee, Diné, from Shiprock, has a jovial smile and a sincere way of getting his point across.
His name is memorable, too, because he makes sure you get it right.
“It’s Raymond Van Lee, Jr.,” he says with an ample smile as he throws his shoulders back and stands at attention, a clue that he’s a United States veteran.
When asked, he grabs for his backpack that’s tucked under a chair and pulls out his U.S. Marine Corps cap that he wore when stationed in Iraq.
“I was in charge of communications,” he says proudly.
Lee followed his father’s, brothers’ and sisters’ footsteps, all who served in the U.S. military during different confl ict periods dating back to the Vietnam era.
Like many veterans, the aftermath of war took a toll on Lee. Battling an alcohol addic- tion, Lee is homeless in the city.
“Drinking messes up every- thing,” he admits.
But, on the day before New Year’s Eve, Lee took a step to change that.
He participated in a commu- nity sobriety event at the All Nations Wellness Center on Zuni Blvd.
“Today was wonderful,” he says, his smile widening. Last Friday, several dozen community people showed up for the event; some were there to fortify their pledge to remain sober or to make that fi rst promise, while others attended to demonstrate their support.
“We know during the New Year celebrations, (people who are trying to maintain sobriety) go through rough times. We wanted to promote an environ- ment where they feel safe and be away from those negative factors in their lives. Hopefully this will encourage them to stay strong,” said Michael Sam, Diné, an AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteer, who organized the event.
As a Native American-spon- sored program, the event provided a cultural approach to sobriety that included a traditional activity, a string design called the Navajo Rug; presentations from inspiration- al speaker Ervin Tsosie, Diné, and storyteller and flute player Andrew Thomas, Diné; Navajo coyote stories; along with a din- ner of scrumptious chili stew and oven bread.
“We think (as tribal mem- bers), they will be able to relate more to a cultural, holistic ap- proach to sobriety rather than the Western (medical) model of intervention,” explained Sam.
During his presentation, Tsosie told the group gathered in the large meeting room how this approach worked for him when he was struggling with maintaining sobriety.
After having bad experiences
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SPECIAL TO THE TIMES | COLLEEN KEANE
Raymond Van Lee, Jr., Diné from Shiprock, shows his appreciation when Michael Sam, an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer for the All Nations Wellness Center, offers him a sleeping bag.