The Heart of a Warrior
Hundreds of Choctaw veterans gathered beneath a steel gray sky at the Choctaw Nation Capitol Grounds in Tuskahoma, Oklahoma. Red, white, and blue draped the backs of chairs facing a platform with Choctaw tribal leaders and princesses. To round out the Choctaw Nation’s Annual Veterans ceremony, Chahta Foundation scholarship director Scott Wesley presented the Heart of the Warrior Scholarship.
The Tvshka (warrior) Scholarship helps active duty and retired U.S. armed service veterans who are seeking postsecondary higher education. Though the 2017 recipient was not able to attend, Scott told part of his story.
Deployed to Iraq in 2004 through 2005, Jason Clinton worked as a heavy equipment operator with the Navy Seabees. While there, one of his chiefs — a friend and mentor — arrived in Iraq to check on the work. Shortly after a conversation with Jason, Chief Baldwin went to the galley. A suicide bomber walked in and ended Chief Baldwin’s life.
“That’s who Jason looks at as the heart of a warrior,” Scott said. “That’s who Jason wants to represent every time he goes into a fire.”
Jason served in active duty Coast Guard before going to work for the Las Vegas Fire Department 17 years ago. During that time, he transitioned from Coast Guard reserves into the Navy reserves. He recently retired from the Navy in 2015 after 23 years of military service.
Now Jason is poised to finish his second bachelor degree for the work he’s considering once he retires from the fire department.
“My passion is emergency management and homeland security,” Jason said during a phone interview. “An online degree program opened in northern Nevada and it’s helping me achieve that portion of emergency management.”
Support from the Choctaw Nation and the Heart of the Warrior scholarship helps Jason get through the hard parts of his education journey, giving him that financial boost he needs to push through his studies.
“We are very proud to give the Heart of the Warrior Scholarship to Jason Clinton,” Scott said.
“I’ve always taken pride in being part of the Choctaw Nation,” Jason said. “I’m extremely proud they decided to help me with my education. Hopefully, somewhere along the way, I’ll be able to give back.”
Jason’s Choctaw heritage was passed down to him through stories. His great-grandfather and great-grandmother were original Dawes Roll enrollees. They told him stories of their grandparents, how they lived, of fighting through the hard times to be who they were.
“Being Choctaw means being part of a group of people that have a proud history of helping each other,” Jason said.
That history has played a significant role in his life and now, his future.
“When I retire, I hope to become an emergency manager somewhere, maybe even the Choctaw Nation,” Jason added. “Right now, I’m hoping the degree leads me into my next promotion.”
Jason currently serves as a fire captain with the Las Vegas Fire and Rescue. He lives in Nevada with his family.
Credit: Sarah Elizabeth Sawyer
