This Will Give You Chills … American War Veteran Asks Sioux Elders Forgiveness for the Actions of the U.S. Government (VIDEO)

For the Native American Sioux tribe, “water is life.” This tribe has always fought to protect this precious resource in their North Dakota home, but sadly, they have not always won. There are numerous oil pipelines that run through North Dakota, and their environmental track record is, at best, poor. One of the worst oil spills in history took place when a Tesoro Logistics pipeline sprung a leak and spread 865,000 gallons of oil across the planes. Most recently, Sioux lands and water were put in danger by the impending Dakota Access Pipeline.

As construction crews entered the reservation to start work on the pipeline, they reaffirmed Sioux fears. The tribe’s chairman David Archambault II remembered that day, writing in The Hill, “Our sacred sites were ravaged and ruined by an oil company focused solely on profit … Our people are heartbroken. Our history is destroyed. That ground is now hollow.” So the Sioux began to fight back.

The Standing Rock Reservation became the locus for activists who were fighting to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline from cutting through the heart of the 2.3 million acres of land that belongs to the Sioux. The tribe was joined by conservationists from all over the country. After months of protest and abuse, the Army Corps of Engineers announced they would halt the pipeline and explore alternate routes.

The crowning victory for the tribe, however, came recently when the hundreds of veterans gathered in front of Sioux elders to beg their forgiveness. The soldiers apologized for the recent transgression in North Dakota and also acknowledged the U.S. Government’s despicable policies of deceit and violence toward all Native peoples since the nation’s inception. In the video above, soldier Wes Clark Jr. addressed Chief Arvol and said, “We didn’t respect you, we polluted your Earth, we’ve hurt you in so many ways but we’ve come to say that we are sorry. We are at your service and we beg for your forgiveness.” Arvol accepted graciously and his final remarks were, “World Peace.”

We a cannot change the injustices of the past, but we can change the way we behave in the future and we should look to this scene for guidance. We should strive for harmony and peace for all living things – including the plants and the animals that live alongside us.