Dedicating a memorial to Native American veterans
WASHINGTON — Allen Kale ‘iolani Hoe, 75, traveled nearly 5,000 miles from his home in Hawaii to witness the dedication of a memorial to honor Indigenous veterans and active U.S. military members that sits outside the National Museum of the American Indian on the National Mall.
For Mr. Hoe, a Native Hawaiian who served as an Army combat medic in Vietnam, the trip to Washington last weekend brought pride and joy. There also was sadness as he remembered his 27-year-old son, Nainoa, a U.S. Army infantry officer who was killed 17 years ago in combat in Iraq.
“This is a powerful statement in terms of putting all of the politics aside to showcase Native peoples and how they’ve served this country through decades of conflict,” said Mr. Hoe. “This nation and the citizens of this nation owe a huge debt of gratitude to Indigenous men and women who have for decades — and even centuries — helped to preserve this country.”
Mr. Hoe was among 1,700 Indigenous veterans and military service members who came from tribes across the country and descended on the museum’s grounds for three days of events that kicked off Nov. 11 — Veterans Day — with a procession, followed by speeches from dignitaries and a ceremonial, first-time lighting of the $15 million memorial that has been more than two decades in the making.
The dedication, in sight of the U.S. Capitol, was an emotional experience for people whose ancestors had been forced from their lands and treated harshly by a country
that many in their community went on to defend over past decades, and still serve today.
Military veterans and active service members participated in the procession on the grounds of the Mall. Some decorated war veterans rode in motorized wheelchairs, while others used canes or walkers — many wore jackets or baseball caps that detailed their respective military branches and overseas deployments. Others wore their traditional Indigenous regalia, and some were in full military dress as they carried flags of the United States, their military branch and tribal affiliations and marched in cadence.
Thomas H. Begay, 98, a Navajo from Albuquerque, was among those who came. Growing up in a rural area, he spoke only Navajo until he learned English at 13 years old. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps at 16. In World War II, he was selected as a Navajo Code Talker — a group of American
Indians who used their Indigenous language to send secret military codes that enemies could not unscramble. Mr. Begay survived Iwo Jima and can still remember dates of battles he served in and the names of lost comrades. He went on to serve in the Army in Korea and survived the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir, a particularly brutal fight. He earned eight Bronze Stars for his military service.
In the Friday procession, Mr. Begay occasionally stood from his wheelchair and walked a few hundred feet, pausing at times to wave and salute the crowd. He wore white gloves, a shirt adorned with his military honors and a traditional silver and turquoise Native American bolo at his neck.
Native American leaders said that before the memorial opened, Indigenous veterans had to go to other war memorials in D.C. for tributes. Getting a memorial to recognize Indigenous peoples’ service near the Mall was a long time incoming.