Darrell Lee Cusher, District #1, is the Choctaw Nation’s Veteran of the Month.
He was born in Claremore, Okla., and grew up in Tulsa. There, he graduated from a private school and earned an academic achievement scholarship.
At age 17, Cusher enlisted in the U.S. Army with the consent of his Air Force veteran father. He completed Basic Training at Fort Dix, trained as a mechanic and was later attached to an infantry unit in Alaska.
Returning to Oklahoma, SFC Cusher continued serving as an Oklahoma Reservist in the National Guard. He was then deployed to Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Iraq. In 2004, he served as part of the first Oklahoma National Guard unit to train the Afghan National Army. After more than 20 years of service, Cusher retired from the Oklahoma National Guard in 2008.
He recalls his favorite duty station as Alaska, where he enjoyed the natural beauty, open spaces, hunting and fishing. Returning to Tulsa, he worked in trucking and construction, then moved to Choctaw country 28 years later, where he continued in the same line of work.
Cusher met and married Kathey 16 years ago, and they have three children, John, Lauren, and Chance. They also have grandchildren, Shaylie, Faith, Jager, Cecelia, and Rayne.
The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma holds our Veterans in the highest esteem and appreciates their sacrifices and contributions to preserve our freedoms and the way of life we hold dear.