Jerry Benally is no stranger to giving back to his community. He gave back as a Marine for more than 20 years, then returned to the Navajo reservation where he grew up to give back as a teacher for the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC).
Today, you can find him at the new STEM and Career and Technical Education Center at Prairie View High, running the district’s only Navy ROTC program for more than 50 students. This program is new to 27J and is projected to serve more than 120 students as it grows to full capacity.
Pictured: Jerry Benally outside of Prairie View High with an ROTC drill rifle.
The Road to 27J
Benally’s grandfather, David Patterson, was a Navajo Code Talker whose encrypted messages helped the United States Marines recapture the Pacific islands from the Japanese during World War II.
Later on, Jerry had the opportunity to learn his native tongue while growing up on the Navajo reservation. Part of the Navajo culture is to move away from the reservation to gain experience and then come back to the reservation to share that experience. This means many Navajo students are encouraged to join the military upon graduation.
Having seen his grandfather and older brother lead successful military careers, Jerry enlisted and left the reservation. In the Marines, he was a jack of all trades, working as an electrician, accountant, and more. He traveled all over the world, and he loved every minute of it before deciding to return to New Mexico and give back to his reservation by teaching ROTC to students on the Navajo reservation.
After six years of teaching, Mr. Benally sought a new opportunity, which led him to apply for an ROTC instructor position at 27J, specifically Prairie View High School. The 27J hiring team was not only impressed with Benally’s military experience but also with his track record as a teacher. During his time teaching on the reservation, he had taken on a struggling ROTC program and turned it around in a relatively short period of time.
Mr. Benally interacts with his students while they practice with their drill rifles.
A Unique Perspective
Being new to 27J and Colorado has been a great learning opportunity for Jerry. At the reservation, he only taught Navajo students. At Prairie View, he interacts with a diverse population of students. Mr. Benally has shared his own experiences and perspectives with students when they ask questions about his background.
“We can’t change history, but it’s important to be aware of it. There are some things in history that we want to erase, but if we do, then we erase our identity.”
Jerry Benally
He mentions how most students are left in awe when he tells them that the Navajo people were forced to walk from their land in what is now Arizona to eastern New Mexico by the United States government in what is known as the Long Walk of 1864. They are even more surprised when he tells them how Fort Carson in Colorado Springs is named after one of the generals who oversaw the Long Walk.
For Jerry, it is important to have these conversations with students because they can learn something they might not have known before and talk through important historical events, especially those related to the military since that is the focus of the ROTC program.
Prairie View High ROTC student.
Looking Forward
Benally and his daughter, Hannah, have only good things to say about their experience so far at Prairie View High. Jerry looks forward to continuing to expand the ROTC program at PVHS while positively influencing and preparing the next generation of students in their plans after high school. Hannah is a freshman and is already taking advantage of the classes offered at the STEM and Career and Technical Education Center and wants to pursue a career as a veterinarian after high school.
Mr. Benally posing for a photo with his daughter Hannah.
Although Hannah isn’t fully fluent in Navajo, she grew up near the reservation and understands it. She knows about the ceremonies and culture inside the reservation, as Jerry has made it a point to keep her connected to her heritage.
“The Navajo reservation is the largest in the world… It’s important to tell people who we are and where we come from.”