Path Chosen: Mi Lakota Yelo

This is my story of my memories, thoughts, and interpretations that I made from my experiences starting at the beginning of my age of awareness. I grew up on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota where I faced living in two different cultures to the time I joined the U.S. Army. My story is not about the accumulation of wealth or being famous or being some savior. It is about a simple dream. My story starts from the time I remember reaching the age of awareness to the present. I do not claim to be a writer, so my story may not be a well-planned or polished literary work that meets all the high standards of writing. The story is about being on a path out of poverty. I was raised by my grandparents from a baby to the time I joined the U.S. Army. For some reason my mother left me to be raised by her parents. They were poor people, seasonal laborers, who lived with a strong belief in their God. We lived in a two-room shack with tarpaper siding that had not inside toilet, running water or electricity. That was our home. They were always short of money to buy necessities and usually faced hunger. However they were a good couple and had a faith to believe in God. However I was fortunate to get a good education and had the opportunity to join the army for a career. I experienced new horizons that exposed me to new learning's that tempered my attitude. I wish to share my experiences and thoughts from traveling along a path chosen with especially the Lakota youth and the non-Lakota youth what have written in this book. Pilamaya-Thank you