As a teenager in a Nebraska agriculture classroom in the mid-1970s, Tom Brewer looked up at photographs of students who received their state FFA degrees. He determined someday he would be on that wall of photos, too.
Brewer, a member of the Ogalla Sioux tribe, grew up near the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation on the South Dakota-Nebraska border. FFA drew him in because it taught skills needed in his everyday rural life, including welding and range judging. It also promised opportunities to try new and different things.
Although he raised a few Hereford steers to show, the reservation didn’t offer a lot of space for production agriculture projects. So, Brewer chose the agribusiness path. He worked at a local grain elevator and participated in FFA competitions like parliamentary procedure, meats judging, welding and — his favorite — public speaking.
“It was a good fit for me,” says Brewer, now a decorated and retired Army colonel in his second term in the Nebraska state legislature. “Public speaking turned into a very handy thing to have, both in the military and as a state senator.”
Brewer achieved his goal of earning his state degree. He also became the first Native American to serve as a Nebraska FFA state officer in 1977-78, and earned his American FFA Degree in 1978.
A Life Marked by Service
After graduating from high school in Gordon, Neb., in 1977, Brewer joined the Army. He graduated from Army flight school, parachute school and ranger school. He was commissioned as an Infantry officer, flew attack helicopters and served in Desert Storm operations and on six tours in Afghanistan.
Tom Brewer’s time in the U.S. Army has included taking humanitarian trips to Ukraine.
Brewer received two Purple Heart medals: one in 2003, after being shot six times in one night outside Kabul, and the other in 2012, when his vehicle was hit by a rocket propelled grenade (RPG). That injury took two years in the hospital to recover from and ended his active military service, leading him to work for a special Wounded Warrior Project called Heroes and Horses. He and other volunteers took numerous veterans on healing journeys via pack trips in the mountains of Wyoming and Montana.
A few years later, someone suggested he run for the Nebraska Legislature. He was elected as senator in 2016 and re-elected in 2020 after riding a mule across the 600 miles of his district, going town to town with a group of veterans to talk with people.
In addition to his service in the legislature, Brewer has made several trips to Ukraine throughout the past two years to assist with humanitarian efforts as well as to forge relationships and bridge gaps to increase aid and resources sent there.
In 2023, he was awarded the Chief Standing Bear Prize for Courage. This honor recognizes individuals who embody the courageous spirit of Chief Standing Bear, who became the first Native American to be recognized as a person in a federal court decision in 1879.
Brewer receives his Chief Standing Bear Prize for Courage.
With his many accomplishments and life experiences, Brewer still recalls his FFA achievements as special — and foundational.
Traveling to the city of Lincoln from western Nebraska “cowboy country” as a state officer opened Brewer’s eyes to other people and places, preparing him for the military and world travel. FFA speech contests gave him confidence in presenting as a military officer and senator. Agricultural education equipped him to talk about the needs of farmers and ranchers, which he now does on Nebraska’s Agriculture Committee.
“Do as much as you can to compete in every contest and go to every opportunity because these experiences inevitably all stack toward things later in life,” Brewer says. “Life is full of challenges, and the things you can do while you’re in FFA prepare you to be more successful in life.”
