National Museum of the American Indian
Native Veterans Procession and Dedication Ceremony
Veterans Day, November 11, 2022
NAC-SNM is honored and humbled to join the procession honoring NAC-SNM veterans and families. With a grateful heart the NAC-SNM honors our active military, veterans, and their families for their selfless service and sacrifice in defending the greatest country in the world. We are privileged to sleep beneath the blanket of freedom and security the military provides. Our NAC-SNM active military and veterans have truly given our country their life, time, energy, and love. Thank you again and always. God Bless you and your family.
With a grateful heart the NAC-SNM honors our active military, veterans, and their families for their selfless service and sacrifice in defending the greatest country in the world. We are privileged to sleep beneath the blanket of freedom and security the military provides. Our NAC-SNM active military and veterans have truly given our country their life, time, energy, and love. Thank you again and always. God Bless you and your family.
On November 11, 2022, the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) honors the exceptional military service of Native Americans in a formal dedication of the National Native American Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. The dedication and processional will honor American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian veterans and their families. The NAC-SNM delegation will be led by Terry Dayish (Navajo), USMC veteran and Delegate at Large, and other veterans as they walk with Native Nations, Tribes, and Native Veterans Groups from across the United States of America.
To honor and recognize the Native American’s tradition of service and sacrifice to our country the Native American Veterans’ Memorial Amendments Act of 2013 was passed on December 11, 2013. The United States Congress directed the NMAI to create a National Native American Veterans Memorial to honor the outstanding service of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian veterans, and to raise public awareness of this rich history of service. Native Americans have the distinction of serving at a higher rate per capita than any other demographic group, despite their history of harassment, mistreatment, and removal by the federal government. The memorial is intended to give “all Americans the opportunity to learn of the proud and courageous tradition of service of Native Americans in the Armed Forces of the United States.” The memorial is located prominently on the grounds of the Smithsonian’s NMAI on the National Mall in Washington.
About the National Native American Veterans Memorial
Cheyenne and Arapaho artist Harvey Pratt’s Warriors’ Circle of Honor is located on the museum grounds on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The design incorporates symbols and elements common to many native traditions: fire, water, wind, drums, the cardinal points, and the circle shape. The memorial creates an interactive yet intimate space for gathering, remembrance, reflection, and healing. The overall focus is on healing. Harvey Pratt is a member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes of Oklahoma, and a Southern Cheyenne peace chief. In addition to being an artist, he’s a Marine Corps Vietnam veteran and a retired forensic artist. Harvey brought to his design his own experience as a veteran and as a tribal citizen who has lived this long tradition of service.