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(Times photo - Marley Shebala)

During the second annual Arizona Paralyzed Veterans of America Powwow in Window Rock last Saturday, Margaret Sheka, right, thanks Arizona PVA board members, from left, John Tuzzolino (Army), Daniel Koston (Navy), national director/board member Art Hardy of Window Rock, and board member Diane Brunswick (Army) for their service and for hosting the powwow.

WINDOW ROCK, July 26, 2007

The doors were closed Saturday at the Window Rock Sports Center but that didn't block the rhythmic pulse of drumming and singing coming from within.

Inside the building, participants in the 2nd Annual Paralyzed Veterans of America Powwow were feverishly dancing around Southern Tribe, a drum group from Albuquerque.

Many danced with their eyes closed, as if in a trance.

They shook their gourds and rattles in time with the beat. The jingling and clanking united with the deep voices of the singers, who pounded on the huge drum.

As the drum abruptly ended, the dancers stopped on the beat.

Then master of ceremonies Micco Lowe of Shiprock announced that the gourd dancing session had ended, and the veterans turned to each other smiling, shook hands and said, "Thank you."

Moving the festivities along, Lowe encouraged the dancers who planned to compete in the powwow to get ready for the 7 p.m. grand entry, about 20 minutes away.

Then he called out for Marco Rossi from the left side of the stage, where Lowe sat at a table behind a PA system.

Lowe explained that any veterans needing information about veterans' benefits, especially those dealing with spinal cord injuries or spinal cord diseases, should speak with Rossi, a Paralyzed Veterans of America national service officer based in Phoenix.

Rossi, a retired Marine lance corporal, said he had never before attended a powwow or gourd dance, and described the proceedings as "hypnotic."

The number of prayers that were conducted for past and present veterans and active military personnel during the gourd session overwhelmed him, he said.

"There's a lot of honor for veterans," he said. "That's very noble. I respect that."

Formed in 1946, the PVA is a national nonprofit organization chartered by Congress that generates awareness and provides education about health benefits for veterans, especially those suffering from spinal cord injuries and spinal cord diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

Rossi said he made a point of attending this year's PVA powwow because he knows many Native American veterans who live on the Navajo Reservation don't receive benefits because they can't access services as easily as vets living in metropolitan areas.

US Airfoce Sgt. Peter Quinn, executive director of the Phoenix-based Arizona chapter, noted that Rossi also helps spouses apply for benefits in cases where a veteran has passed away.

Quinn recalled that Rossi attended the 2006 Gathering of Warriors event at Wide Ruins, Ariz., and reported that there was an enormous need for outreach services on the reservation.

Saturday's powwow was a first for Quinn, too, and he smiled as he recalled the "gifting" portion.

Donations of money and handshakes were included in an honor song for the wheelchair-bound PVA representatives, which included Quinn and national board director Art Hardy of Window Rock.

Hardy said his daughter, Savannah Hardy, suggested the powwow as a way to introduce the PVA to the reservation. The first year's event drew 10 dancers. This year there were eight times that many.

Hardy, a retired Army staff sergeant who served in Vietnam, said he's probably the only Navajo member of the PVA. He said he learned of the organization purely by accident.

"I was invited to a meeting and they never let me go," Hardy said laughing. That was in 1992.

"We're here to let people know about the Paralyzed Veterans of America," he said. "I'm paralyzed. I'm a veteran. I need help.

The PVA also advocates for the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act. Hardy noted with exasperation that the sports center is not designed for wheelchair access, and the bathrooms also do not accommodate people in wheelchairs - both required under the federal statute, he explained.

"The Navajo Nation is a primary example of veterans not being served," Hardy said, almost pounding the armrest on his wheelchair. "There are all kinds of benefits but until someone speaks to the veterans, they have no way of knowing about them."

"It's not the job of the armed services or of the veterans' hospitals to get a veteran qualified for benefits that he or she may very well be rightfully qualified for," said Benjamin Garcia, Arizona PVA president.

"Service organizations like the PVA are the ones who do the job of guiding veterans through the process of becoming eligible to receive their military benefits," he said.

Among the benefits for which veterans may qualify are mental health treatment, rehabilitation services, and, in some cases, financial benefits.

For example, a disabled veteran who is at risk for heat exhaustion when his car's air conditioning goes out may use benefits to pay for repairs - if the veteran is registered with the Veterans Administration and if he qualifies.

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