Existing comment:
"We serve this country because it's our land. We have a sacred purpose to protect this place."
-- Jeffrey Begay, Diné [Navajo] veteran
American Indians have served in our nation's military since colonial times. In recent decades, they have served at a higher rate in proportion to their population than any other ethnic group. Why? For many military service is an extension of their warrior traditions. Others serve to reaffirm treaty alliances with the United States. Still others serve for sheer love of home and country.
Throughout Native America, servicemen and women are some of the most honored members of their communities. Yet they remain unrecognized by any landmark in our nation's capital. That will soon change.
The United States Congress has charged the National Museum of the American Indian with creating a memorial on its grounds to give all Americans the opportunity "to learn of the proud and courageous tradition of service of Native Americans." Their legacy deserves our recognition. |