THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 19, 1995 TAG: 9501190373
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DAWSON MILLS, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines
Smoking isn't usually permitted in certain areas of the Shifting Sands Enlisted Club at Dam Neck, but club officials made an exception Wednesday.
It was, after all, a special occasion. Navy Chief Petty Officer Dianna M. Goodsky was retiring after 15 years of service, and she elected to go out with the bang of her Native American roots.
The customs and traditions of the sea service met the heritage of Native American culture, including the passing of the ceremonial pipe, in a unique retirement ceremony at the Fleet Combat Training Center.
Goodsky, a member of the Bois Forte Band of the Chippewa tribe in Minnesota, was surrounded by shipmates, family, friends and members of the tribe.
``Retirement should be a day the individual will remember,'' noted Capt. A.E. Ponessa, Goodsky's last commanding officer. ``It shouldn't be a case of the departing service member quietly slipping away as some do. I hope we have more like this.''
Ponessa helped bestow the honors with Bois Forte Tribal Council Representative Jerome Whiteman, the Bois Forte Drum Group and other tribal groups. All who participated are ranking members of the tribe and have earned the right to carry a ceremonial pipe and keep a drum.
Goodsky's brother, Curt, a tribal Eagle Staff Carrier, participated as a dancer. Her uncle, Hank, a spiritual adviser, was one of the singers. Her father, Eugene, delivered both the invocation and the benediction in his native Chippewa.
In a pipe-and-drum ceremony before the formal retirement proceedings, the primal beat and the plaintive ancient chant pulsed through the room and washed over the almost 200 assembled guests, breathing vibrant life into the ways of an ancient culture.
Navy captains, commanders and chiefs rubbed shoulders with tribal members in traditional dress, replete with fur and feathers. Shawl dancers spun and twirled, imitating the movement of butterflies and the fluid grace of wild deer.
The ceremony also mixed the strains of ``The Star Spangled Banner'' and ``Anchors Aweigh'' with the Bois Forte Band's ``Flag Song,'' its national anthem, and the ``Honor Song.''
For Goodsky, a mother of three who plans to remain in the area and pursue a real estate career, the day was an emotional ending to her military service.
``I am overwhelmed - by everything!'' she told the crowd, choking back her tears. ILLUSTRATION: [color photos appear on p.B1]
by CNB