PEMBROKE — Plans for the creation of the National Native American Veterans Memorial to be located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., are being applauded by Lumbee military veterans.
“This is something that is long overdue,” said Larry Townsend, a veteran of the Vietnam War and member of the Lumbee Tribal Council. “We went into the service to defend our freedoms. This memorial is something that is definitely needed so that our young people learn that freedom does not come free. It has to be earned.”
On Wednesday, about 200 veterans, their relatives, and members of tribes from both North Carolina and South Carolina attended a meeting at the Boys and Girls Club in Pembroke to learn about plans for the memorial that is a project of the Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of the American Indian. The memorial will honor all American Indians who served in the U.S. military.
“In 2013, Congress charged our museum to build a National Native American Veterans Memorial,” said Kevin Gover, the director of the National Museum of the American Indian. “This is a very large project, the biggest project since the museum opened.”
Gover described the memorial as one that “every tribe should feel is for, and about them.” He said that Wednesday’s meeting was to feedback from tribal members, especially military veterans, about the proposed memorial that hopefully will be ready for dedication on Veterans Day 2019.
There is no design for the memorial that will be located on National Museum of the American Indian grounds on the National Mall between the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum and the U.S. Capitol. The design will be selected through a juried competition.
According to Gover, similar meetings will be held with tribes across the country.
According to museum statistics, there are currently 150,000 living American Indian veterans. There are 24,000 American Indians and Alaskan Natives active today in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Harvey Godwin Jr., chairman of the Lumbee Tribe, said that “every Lumbee family” has had someone who has served in the U.S. military, many of those having risen to high ranks.
“Time and time again there have been Lumbees serving in the military that have made the tribe and country proud,” he said. “… I believe in our Lumbee warriors.”
Godwin was pleased with the turnout at Wednesday’s meeting.
“We had good representation and I think we will have influence on the memorial,” Godwin said. “I think we will also have several tribal members enter the juried competition for the memorial’s design.”
Several veterans made brief comments, all stating that it is time for American Indians to be recognized for their service.
“This is one of the great plateaus we have reached. It shows we are moving forward,” said Gary Deese, a retired Army command sergeant major.
Jerry Lowery, a retired Army staff sergeant first class and Vietnam War veteran, called plans for the memorial “fantastic.”
“Recognition of our veterans is something that is long past due,” he said.
Greg Richardson, executive director of the North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs, urged Gover to ensure that all American Indians, whether members of federal, state, or federal and state recognized tribes, are included in the memorial development process.
“Sometimes all tribes aren’t treated the same if not federally recognized,” he said.
Richardson also praised efforts of establishing the National Native American Veterans Memorial.
“The timing is perfect,” he said. “It is very appropriate. The memorial institutionalizes the contributions that American Indians have made in all of our military services.”
