Warriors fly free like the wind, fly high like the sun and strike from above like the Great Eagle.
Flying for ~REZ~ is usually by invitation only however we do accept petitions to enlist and judge each on an individual basis. Submit your petitions to Ltmsm@cox.net
There was a day when the young brave of a tribe would enter into manhood and become a proud warrior for his people. This traditional 'coming of age' would include what was known as 'touching your enemy' in that the true definition of the warrior was that he had actually killed or touched his enemy in battle. A notch in the feather or a certain way the feather was worn signified this accomplishment.
Many times this was done while on horseback during the heat of battle when the warrior would reach out and slap his enemy in the face, on the back or in some cases even cutting him a little with his knife or spear. The significance was that the warrior was so powerful that he chose to allow his enemy to live. The enemy would know by this act that he could have died right then and there but instead of meeting his fate he had been spared by this true and powerful warrior.
In~REZ~ we adhere to this principle in that we find it unecessary to shoot a chute or in many cases to finish a kill. We will send a salute ~S~ and have great pride in allowing the enemy to live knowing that he was spared by a great ~REZ~ Warrior.
~REZ~ is the original and only Native American Fighter Ace Squadron and was first conceived as a spirited rogue War Party of Shoshone Indians. The War Party first joined the new skies of Fighter Ace in 1998 from the SHOBAN Indian Reservation at Fort Hall, Idaho. When speaking of the Reservation in tribal slang it was always referred to as the "REZ" which explains the origins for the name of the squad. The War Party is open to any and all Native Americans. Our Chief, ~REZ~ Shoshone (~REZ~1) was one of the original five members.
(You do not have to be Native American to fly for ~REZ~)
~REZ~ never show fear and can always be found in the middle of any good fight.... The first great ~REZ~ Warrior (Air_Bear) once said, "I fight in the middle, even when outnumbered, because that is where I will find my targets and get my kills."
Receiving a ~REZ~ Name or Number:
In the old-way the chief or elder of a tribe would select a name for the new warrior. This new warrior would wear the chosen name for a period of time and if there were no objections it would become his true warrior name. That is how Crazy Horse and many others were named and is also the only old-way tradition that ~REZ~ follows. The Chief (~REZ~1), or elder, will help all new ~REZ~Warriors in choosing his number or name and if no one objects it will stand.
In many culture's there is 'self-proclamation' of one's identity - "I am a psychic" for instance. Or, "I am the best". Or, "I am a better Fighter Ace Pilot than you are". But the native way is that a person is nothing unless other people see him to be what he is.. In the native way a person cannot proclaim himself to be a "psychic" but others can say, "You are truly a Shaman". That is how a Shaman becomes a Shaman and how a warrior earns the respect and title of the great warrior. A great warrior in ~REZ~ becomes a War Captain or even War Chief much like Crazy Horse was for the great Oglala Sioux Chief Sitting Bull.
Why do ~REZ~ fly with numbers? Because we are all warriors of equal value to our people and tribe. Our better pilots know who they are because they are more experienced and stand in control of their powers and abilities in battle. A true warrior is the one you want to have at your side - or on your wing. Flying with numbers confuses the enemy and helps to overwhelm them. It instills in their minds that they have been killed or spared honorably by ~REZ~ and not only by this great ~REZ~Warrior.
Mitaque Oyasin - We are one with all of our relations that have walked before us.
