Money is being raised for a memorial to American Indian and Alaska Native veterans. Don Loudner, a member of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe of South Dakota, and retired Brig. Gen. Stan Brown need $4 million for the American Indian Veterans Memorial, to be built at the Riverside National Cemetery in California. They have been soliciting tribes and groups for donations, with the Morongo Band of Mission Indians contributing $250,000 for the effort. "I'm really proud of the tribe for taking this position and supporting it financially. Somebody had to take a leadership role. Morongo has done that," Chairman Robert Martin told The Riverside Press-Enterprise. Native Americans have served in the military at rates far greater than any other racial or ethnic group. "This country has yet to recognize the American Indian veteran," said Loudner, the national commander of National American Indian Veterans. "We're setting a precedent here." Get the Story:
Honoring Indian veterans (The Riverside Press-Enterprise 2/16)