Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 39, Number 1, 1 January 2022 — Representing Native Hawaiians on the VA's Tribal Advisory Committee [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Representing Native Hawaiians on the VA's Tribal Advisory Committee

NĀ KOA NEWS ^

By Reyn Kaupiko Aloha mai kākou. I am excited to introduce myself and my inaugural eolumn for Ka Wai Ola. Earlier this year, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) formed a new committee for Native American and Native Hawaiian veterans called "The Tribal Advisory Committee." The committee charter was signed by VA Secretary Denis McDonough on April 23, 2021, and the committees purpose is to provide guidance to the VA on all matters pertaining to Indian Tribes, Tribal Organizations, Native Hawaiian Organizations and Native Ameriean Veterans. The 16-person committee has one at-large seat and one seat reserved for Native Hawaiians. This past October, I was honored to be selected by McDonough to sit on The Tribal Advisory Committee and represent the interests of Native Hawaiian veterans and their 'ohana. To promote effective eommunication in this new role, I will be writing a eolumn eaeh month in Ka Wai Ola to share

news from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that is relevant to Native Hawaiian veterans - from VA information that is specific to native peoples, to general veteran benefit awareness topics. Most Native Hawaiians have U.S. veterans in their 'ohana. So while some of the topics I will cover and the news that I will share via this monthly eolumn may not directly apply to every reader, they may well apply to someone you love - and with regard to benefits, could tremendously affect the quality of life for the veterans in your 'ohana. Mahalo to the OfRce of Hawaiian Affairs for this opportunity to share. ■ Reyn Kaupiko is a graduate of Kamehameha Schools Kapālama and the Naval Academy. He is an OEF/OIF veteran who served in the U.S. Navy onboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) and the aircraft carrier USS Wasp ( LHD-1 ) as a naval warfare officer sailing in the Atlantic, Caribbean, Mediterranean and Pacific oceans. He successfully participated in anti-drug stnuggling missions off the coast of Haiti with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. He also participated in humanitarian efforts in ]amaica, and retrieval of forward-deployed soldiers in the Mediterranean.