OKLA. CITY — EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second of a series of profiles on the four Edmond-area veterans who will be inducted into the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame Nov. 9. Maj. Gen. Rita Aragon, of Edmond, is today’s subject. Capt. Boyd L. “Bo” Barclay, a Deer Creek area resident and Vietnam veteran, will be profiled in Aug. 25’s Edmond Sun.



Sitting in her Capitol complex office, Oklahoma Secretary of Veterans Affairs Rita Aragon is surrounded by mementos and memories of her extraordinary life. Framed works by Enoch Kelly Haney and a dreamcatcher hang on one wall.

Aragon’s great grandparents on her father’s side, who were Cherokees from North Carolina and Tennessee, came to Oklahoma during the land run era. Her mother’s family were Choctaw from Alabama and Mississippi; her great-great-grandmother was full blood Choctaw.

When someone joins the military, they inquire as to their ethnicity.

“I put Native American, and never really thought about it again until I became a general officer. All of a sudden I get this phone call from the Pentagon saying, ‘You are the first woman of Native American ancestry to become a general officer.’”

Aragon said that ancestry means a great deal to her. Native Americans are known as the continent’s original great warriors and members of today’s U.S. military are known as warriors.

One in 10 Native Americans serve in the U.S. military today, Aragon said. Some Indians talk about being the first people to inhabit what would become Oklahoma, she noted.

“It’s still all about defending the land that we love,” Aragon said. “And there’s that great warrior ethos that’s passed down, saying ‘We still defend this country.’”



PATRIOTIC ROOTS

Aragon said her parents, who married young, were extremely bright but did not have the financial means to go to college. Her father had a 38-year career working at Tinker Air Force Base. Her mother also went to work. They were of the mindset that you save before buying an item, that you don’t use credit, Aragon said.

“They were both very patriotic and they both knew that education was the key out of poverty,” Aragon said. “We had no indoor plumbing in our house until I was 12 years old.”

Her parents paid for her college all the way through her master’s degree.

On another wall in Aragon’s office hangs a framed image from her home town of Dale — a small community located northwest of Shawnee along Interstate 40.

Aragon’s close-knit family goes way back in Dale, a community they still serve. Her father has helped maintain a local cemetery for more than 30 years. Aragon’s husband, who died a couple of years ago, is buried there. When members of the community were ill, her mother would often nurse them back to health.

Her parents laid the groundwork for her choice to serve in the military, Aragon said.



DISTINGUISHED MILITARY CAREER

As a teacher (she also worked several other odd jobs at the time and was a principal) and single mother of two young daughters, Aragon had to make a decision on how she would financially support her family. She struggled with the decision. A friend at church suggested that she join the National Guard.

“I was doing anything I could to keep our heads above water,” Aragon said. “I was really beaten down mentally and emotionally.”

She joined the Oklahoma Air National Guard, which she said gave her strength from professional, physical and personal development, and the education that the U.S. Air Force offered.

“My whole life changed at that point,” she said. “It changed my sense of self worth. It also gave a sense of empowerment. I could do whatever I needed to do.”

During her career, Aragon had other firsts. She was the first female commander of the Oklahoma Air National Guard, the first female to command a state’s Air National Guard and the first female Oklahoma secretary of military and veterans affairs. She retired from the military as a major general.

Aragon facilitates a planning group that helps ensure the stability and growth of the state’s five military installations, and develops programs that support current military and veterans individually and in total.

She said as a child, living in poverty, she would have never imagined the future she has experienced, one that includes traveling and meeting world leaders. Her life experiences shaped who she is.

“I’ve gotten to serve with some of the greatest of Oklahoma’s sons and daughters, and some of our nation’s greatest leaders,” Aragon said. “It’s almost like a fairy tale come true. It’s more than I could have ever hoped for as a kid in red dirt. I’ve loved it. I’ve loved every minute of it.”



FITTING HONOR

Aragon will be inducted into the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame Nov. 9 at Quail Creek Golf and Country Club. She said she is humbled by the honor, and her career has benefited from many mentors.

“I don’t really consider what I’ve done hall of fame worthy,” Aragon said. “I was lucky to be where I was and to do the things that I did. That in itself is honor and rewarding enough.”

She mentioned a list of well-known military leaders, including retired Gen. Tommy Franks, in the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame.

“To get to be in that same company is overwhelming,” she said. “And I’m extremely, extremely humbled for them to ever consider that this girl from Dale should be included.”

Gov. Mary Fallin said the honor is justified.

“Gen. Aragon is an accomplished leader and a dedicated public servant,” Fallin said. “During her 28-year career in the military, she has demonstrated leadership, good judgment and a passion for protecting and caring for the men and women under her command.

“As my secretary of veterans affairs, Gen. Aragon has served Oklahoma’s veterans well and highlighted possible improvements at our state’s veterans centers.”

A member of the Edmond Hall of Fame, Aragon recommended the nomination of Choctaw Code Talkers from World War I and World War II, and they also will be inducted. Choctaw soldiers pioneered the use of Native American languages as a military code. They also helped confuse and confound the German Army during both wars.

Aragon’s community service in various capacities includes INTEGRIS Health Edmond, Edmond Fine Arts Institute, Go Red for Women, the American Heart Association, Pros for Vets, the Folds of Honor Foundation, being the senior military adviser for the Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism, the American Red Cross, Girl Scouts and the Oklahoma Bar Association’s Military Task Force.



marks@edmondsun.com | 341-2121, ext. 108