The Copper Star Bucky O’Neill Award is presented to a former or serving elected official other than a State Legislator, or a government agency or department thereof for exceptional service to the Arizona veterans’ community. The award consists of a metallic statute rendition of Bucky O’Neill mounted on a raised base accompanied by an inscribed plaque.
Jamescita Mae Peshlakai is currently serving her first term in the Arizona Senate as the state’s first Native American Woman Senator, representing legislative district 7. She formerly served in the state House of Representatives from 2013 to 2015 and currently serves as an advisor on veteran’s affairs and Arizona issues to the president of the Navajo Nation.
She is a Persian Gulf War veteran and a former soldier. She served in the US Army from 1989 to 1997 and is also a current member of both the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Senator Peshlakai has sponsored and supported legislation important to Arizona Veterans, and has also successfully spearheaded the initiative that created an independent and free-standing Veterans Administration for the Navajo Nation.
She is proactive, engaged and committed to each task. Senator Peshlakai currently serves on the Natural Resources, Energy and Water Committee, and in the past she served as Director of Policy and Programs for the “Arizona Foundation for Women” and “Native Americans for Community Action”, and now serves as an active member of the Veterans Caucus. As a legislator, she has served on the Energy, Environment, Natural Resources, Public Safety and the Military Regulatory Affairs committees. Senator Peshlakai was named State Director of the National Foundation for Women Legislators, (NFWL).