The Smithsonian Will Open A National Native American Veterans Memorial In D.C. Wednesday

On Veterans Day, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian will unveil a new memorial honoring the military service of Native Americans, marking the end of a years-long effort that involved an act of Congress and a national design competition.

The National Native American Veterans Memorial will open with virtual programming, including a tour and video tribute, on Wednesday, November 11.

The memorial is free to visit and open 24 hours a day on the grounds of the museum, located just off the National Mall on 4th Street SW. The memorial honors American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians, who have served in the armed forces at a higher rate per capita than any other ethnic group and have served in every major conflict since the American Revolution.

“It is a symbol of the country finally giving its ‘thank you’ to the Native American people that have contributed all the way from the Revolutionary War to the present and their contributions to this country,” says Gregorio E. Kishketon, a 54-year-old Marine Corps veteran who lives in D.C and is an elder of the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma.

The memorial was designed by Harvey Pratt, a veteran himself and a member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, as well as a Southern Cheyenne Peace Chief. In 2018, a jury unanimously selected Pratt’s design, “Warriors Circle of Honor,” out of more than 400 initial submissions.