“Combes Badge of Honor” is a true story of chronicle moments of my experience over a period of time, paying special attention to my work as a peace officer and an instance when, “I risked my profession for a justifiable cause.” It is a story of a lone survivor that seeks to characterize a “political hierarchy” and “to bring light to a horrible dishonor committed against what we so dearly love, our freedom.” As I consider some of the people and events seemingly influencing my perspective, I also highlight qualities relating to loyalty and belief in various forms.

The life stories included here present the journeys of over 30 indigenous researchers from six continents and many disciplines, including the challenges and oppression they have faced, their strategies for overcoming them, and how their work has produced more meaningful research and a more just society.