AMERICAN INDIAN VETERANS MEMORIAL

In every foreign war, including the present conflicts that face our nation today, Native Americans have enlisted in larger numbers than any other group. Currently, studies show that one out of every four American Indian adult males have served or are serving in the U.S. Military. To honor the sacrifice these men gave to this country is the proposed American Indian Veterans Memorial

The proposed American Indian Veterans Memorial has been years in the making, a journey that began in2005. The American Indian Alaska Native Veterans Memorial Committee has spent years organizing and fundraising to bring this memorial to full realization. The American Indian Veterans Memorial was approved nearly a decade ago with the committee raising over a million dollars to have it built. Due to economic issues during the Covid pandemic, an additional $900,000 is needed to complete its construction.

The American Indian Veterans Memorial monument will be the first national memorial to specifically honor the American Indian and Alaska Native veterans at any of the Veterans Administration / National Cemetery Administration’s 155 National Cemeteries.

During World War I, Native Americans volunteered to serve in the military, even though Native Americans had not been granted citizenship in their own country. As a result of their sacrifice and extraordinary patriotism, the U.S. Congress granted returning American Indian Veterans citizenship. This action later assisted in promoting citizenship for all Native Americans in 1924.

The American Indian Veterans Memorial, as a small token of our nation’s gratitude to the Native Americans, represents gratitude for more than 250 years of service and their sacrifice throughout our nation’s history. World-renowned sculptor, A. Thomas Schomberg, designer and sculptor of the American Indian Veterans Memorial appropriately named the Memorial’s centerpiece statue, THE GIFT.

The striking sculpture will serve as a focal point near the main entry to the cemetery, sitting directly across the lake from the “Veterans Memorial.” The future site of the Memorial was dedicated September 25, 2021. With remaining funds donated, it seems likely it will be completed by yearend or early 2024.

PLEASE DONATE TO THE AMERICA INDIAN MEMORIAL FUND