A farewell to a warrior of two worlds

By Larry Oakes

Star Tribune

      CASS LAKE, MINN. -- He was part U.S. soldier, part Ojibwe warrior, and that's how they honored him Tuesday, the young infantryman who came home from Iraq in a casket.

      In this town of 830 people, more than 600 gathered at the high school during an afternoon snowstorm to pay their final respects to Specialist Dwayne Bellanger McFarlane, who was killed Jan. 9 by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. He was 20.

      His closed coffin, draped by a U.S. flag, sat at one end of the gym where, just three years ago, he ran his heart out playing basketball for a regional champion Cass Lake-Bena team.

      "He is a hero in the hearts of all of us in this room," said George Goggleye, chairman of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. McFarlane grew up on the Leech Lake reservation.

      A veteran of the U.S. military himself, Goggleye stood at a lectern and addressed the fallen soldier, saying: "God loves you, America loves you and the Leech Lake nation loves you. We will never forget your sacrifice."

      McFarlane was the 14th Minnesotan to die in military operations related to the Iraq war. After waiting several days for McFarlane's body to be flown home, relatives began a traditional Ojibwe wake in the school on Sunday.

      Such wakes run around the clock for two or three days as loved ones and well-wishers grieve together.

      McFarlane's uncle and aunt, Don Bellanger and Alvera Reyes, who raised him, said he practiced Ojibwe spirituality and had an Indian name -- Oshkii Inini, or Young Man.

      McFarlane's funeral reflected the two worlds in which he lived and the sacrifice he made when he died.

      More than 80 veterans packed one side of the gym, behind a row of 13 active members of McFarlane's unit, the 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry, 10th Mountain Division, from Fort Drum, N.Y. One of them traveled from Iraq, having just been granted leave.

      "We came here to give a fallen soldier the proper military honors," said Sgt. First Class David Ventura, a member of the unit.

      In an emotional ceremony during the funeral, members of the unit presented the dead soldier's aunt, uncle and brother with U.S. flags in triangular display cases, as well as medals awarded posthumously to McFarlane. The medals included a Bronze Star for meritorious service in combat, a Purple Heart and a good-conduct medal.

      One veteran who witnessed the presentation was Tom Lussier, 60, of Red Lake, Minn., who fought in Vietnam and wore his uniform to the funeral.

      "As soon as I heard about his death, I knew I would come here for the funeral," he said. "When someone gives their life for their country, that should be respected and honored."

      Music for the service was provided by the Timberland Singers, a drum group from the Leech Lake Reservation. Mourners stood out of respect and reverence as the group's drums boomed and their voices wailed Ojibwe funeral songs.

      Tables flanking McFarlane's casket were covered with flowers -- more than 20 bouquets of them -- from family, friends, former teachers. A close friend had written a mournful goodbye poem, and it was displayed in a frame, alongside pictures from happier times.

      A basket cradled an eagle feather and small bundles of sage wrapped in red cloth. Another basket held dozens of cigarettes, the tobacco in them left as an offering, a means of asking the Creator's blessing.

      In his address to the crowd, the Rev. Harold Eaglebull described the prayer feasts given for young Ojibwe warriors in days of old, before battles.

      "The people knew they might not see him come back -- that is the danger of being a warrior -- and they would miss the warrior," Eaglebull said.

      He said McFarlane led a good life and in the military sought both adventure and a way to serve his fellow humans.

      "He knew there would be danger," he said. "And today he is back with his people. ... And there is hope. This is not the end. This is a beginning for Dwayne, as he prepares to journey into the spirit world."

      A long line of cars followed a hearse through falling snow to the Pine Grove Cemetery on the edge of town. The military gave a 21-gun salute, and a bugle sounded taps.

      Family and friends filed past the casket, and on top they sprinkled dirt, as well as tobacco from broken cigarettes.

      The warrior from two worlds was at rest.