The following are the words spoken by Billy Mills, (Oglala Lakota) Olympic gold medalist,  author, mentor, youth teacher and lecturer.

I want to share with you that Crazy Horse is my hero, and I want to tell you why.

When I was a nine-year-old youngster on the reservation on Pine Ridge my dad told me of a rumor that Crazy Horse would be carved in our sacred lands.That’s the first time I had heard of this great war chief, the spiritual leader among the Lakota.

Crazy Horse challenged me to follow my dreams. We’ve all heard Martin Luther King say, "I have a dream." Crazy Horse is challenging many, many Lakota people to simply follow their dream. He set a pattern for us to follow the dream.

Crazy Horse was a warrior. I want to explain the concept of a warrior to you. I’ve traveled to eighty different countries, roughly half a dozen times around the world, and through sports I had the opportunity to meet athletes throughout the world who are warriors. They fit the pattern of Crazy Horse.

A warrior leads his or her life in four areas. Number one, the warrior assumes self-responsibility.

And as the warrior becomes responsible for himself or others the warrior never forgets humility. That we are no better nor no less than one another. So the warrior assumes self-responsibility, then the warrior reaches out and helps other people become responsible.

So the warrior always remembers humility, we’re no better and no less than one another.

The third thing a warrior learns is the power of giving. And the first thing you learn to give is respect for yourself so you will respect one another.

And a warrior takes responsibility, humility, the power of giving and centers that around his or her core of spirituality.

Therein lies a warrior.

The warrior has four desires to meet his or her life, four challenges. Number one, the warrior wants to be unique; number two, the warrior wants to belong; number three, the warrior wants to make a creative difference to society; number four, the warrior wants to understand and to promote understanding.

That philosophy, that concept was given to me by my dad as he explained Crazy Horse to me.

So as we meet the next fifty years, those of you who are here today, I challenge you to go far beyond admiring this incredible work. But take the spirit of Crazy Horse with you. As we promote understanding, as we promote not only local, national, global unity through the beauty of diversity never lose sight of the beliefs and understanding of Crazy Horse.

Crazy Horse would not go to the reservation when the tribe was defeated. He wanted to go anywhere in this country to provide for his people with dignity, with character, with pride. He believed no one owned the land; that he could live where he so desired.

I challenge you to find mentors like my dad challenged me. Mentors who are warriors, mentors who are humble, mentors who have the power of giving and mentors who live their lives around the core of spirituality.

I want to close by explaining some of my mentors to you. My father is my mentor. My father died when I was twelve. Crazy Horse is my all-time mentor. But do you know what happens when you bring up the web page on the computers? You don’t read or see the spirit of Crazy Horse. You learn about a malt liquor beer, you learn about a saloon somewhere in America called Crazy Horse.

I challenge those of you who are here today to not be the silent majority and help those of us who try to live by the knowledge, the wisdom, the integrity of Crazy Horse.

So join us to bring dignity, worldwide, to the name Crazy Horse.

Most people today would rise up in arms if there was a malt liquor beer named Martin Luther King malt liquor beer. Americans would rise up in arms if there was a beer named Colin Powell malt liquor beer.

I challenge you to join us who believe and live the spirit of Crazy Horse to object and to educate: responsibility, humility, the power of giving around a core of spirituality.

I have two other mentors I want to describe to you. My family; my wife, my daughter Billy Jo, who is with me today, is a mentor of mine. And there is another mentor. I want the silent majority to awaken to know, Chalene Teeters.

Charlene Teeters is a warrior. Responsibility, humility, the power of giving is centered around her core of spirituality and she tries to walk the path of Crazy Horse. All Charlene Teeters is trying to do is tell America we are not mascots. We are people of dignity, we are people of character, we are people of pride.

So it honors me to be invited to be asked to come back and share words with you, because Crazy Horse is my mentor, Crazy Horse is my hero.

In a very humble way I try to live the life of a Lakota warrior. I was introduced as Billy Mills. I will close by telling you my Lakota name. Makata Taka Hela and Makata Taka Hela means, love your country. More traditionally it means, respects the earth, and I do respect the sacredness of the Black Hills, I respect Mother Earth.

It honors me to know that I can bring my grandchildren back someday and I can show them my hero, Crazy Horse. For that Ruth, I thank you.