RIVERSIDE, Calif. – A prisoner of war memorial centers on an imposing seven-foot sculpture of a bare-chested serviceman knelt and bound, his head tilted up to the heavens. On the other side of the sprawling cemetery, a large site is guarded by somber monoliths and a cascade provides a tranquil shower amid marble walls etched with Medal of Honor recipients.

When it comes to honoring those who served and died, the Riverside National Cemetery memorializes in dramatic fashion; and the next one will no doubt measure up to its antecedents. Its elaborate design, although presently conceptual, has been drawn, vetted and waiting final funding and approvals. But it will also be striking because it will be the only one to collectively memorialize the American Indian veterans in the country’s 144 national cemeteries.

“We feel the stories of American Indian veterans are not being told. This will help change that,” said Don Loudner, a Crow Indian and member of the National Cemetery Administration’s advisory committee, an agency under the Department of Veterans Affairs which manages most of the nation’s cemeteries.

Noting that Indians had fought in every war...  more...