A cemetery for Native American veterans?

[Okwes]

A cemetery for Native American veterans?

A cemetery for Native American veterans? By Ryan Hall The Daily
Times Apr 8, 2006, 06:00 am
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FARMINGTON -- Native Americans could pursue grants to build or improve
tribal cemeteries if a bill being introduced by U.S. Rep. Tom Udall,
D-N.M., passes through Congress, according to a press release.

Udall spoke to a Veterans Affairs Subcommittee Thursday to discuss his
proposed legislation.
"In his testimony, Udall said that historically, Native Americans have
the highest record of service in the armed forces per capita of any one
ethic group, yet they lack the opportunity to be buried close to home in
a veterans' cemetery because tribes are not eligible to apply for state
cemetery grant funds," the release states.


Under HR 601, dubbed the Native American Veterans Cemetery Act, the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs would be authorized to provide federal
grant funding to tribal organizations for development or improvement of
veterans' cemeteries on trust land.

"Udall's on the right track," said Bert Sandoval, commander of the
Shiprock Veterans Organization.

He added he had heard talk of a Navajo Nation Veterans' Cemetery being
pursued, something he would like see happen. Sandoval described a vision
of a large cemetery with "green lawns."

"We should have something to match (any national cemetery), we served
right along with everyone else who is American," he said, adding a
Navajo Nation veterans' cemetery should resemble the one in Santa Fe or
Washington, D.C.

"I'm sure somewhere along the way, we'll get the credit we deserve," he
said.

According to the release, the bill "enjoys broad support," including
resolutions that were passed by both new Mexico and Arizona in favor of
allowing tribal governments to apply for national veterans' cemeteries
funding.

The Navajo Nation has also expressed its support

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Indian vets may get burial help

By Holli Chmela
The New York Times

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<http://www.denverpost.com/ci_4280624?source=rss#> Fort
Defiance Veterans Cemetery in Fort Defiance, Ariz., is filled with more
than 300 graves of Navajo veterans. It is not maintained or funded by
the Department of Veterans Affairs. (NYT / Craig Robinson)
Washington - Traditionally, when American Indians are killed in battle,
their remains are returned to their tribal lands for burial.
But for the families of the many Indians who join the U.S. military,
death brings a difficult choice: The veterans can be buried in a
national veterans cemetery with fellow comrades in arms. Or they can be
buried close to home on tribal land.
There is no way to do both.
The Native American Veterans Cemetery Act would change that.
Rep. Tom Udall, the New Mexico Democrat who wrote the bill, said it
would authorize states to provide grants financed by the Department of
Veterans Affairs for the development or improvement of veterans
cemeteries on tribal land. At present, tribal governments are not
eligible for department money.
In June, Udall's measure was unanimously approved by the House Veterans
Affairs Committee.
Both the House and the Senate included it in comprehensive veterans
bills approved last month. The next step
is for those bills to be reconciled by a conference committee after
Congress returns in September.
Nearly 20,000 people classified as Native American/Alaskan Native are
serving in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force, according to the
Defense Department's most recent tally, from December 2005. By the end
of 2006, there will be an estimated 181,361 American Indian veterans,
according to the VA. The National Native American Veterans Association
estimates that 22 percent of American Indians 18 and older are veterans.
"This is about recognizing that it's not just states that have rights -
tribes, too, should have rights," Udall said.

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American Indian veterans' cemetery bill passes Congress New Mexico
Business Weekly - 2:46 PM MST Monday
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* A bill approved by both congressional chambers on Dec. 9 will allow
American Indian military veterans in New Mexico to be buried closer to
their native homelands. The measure now goes to President Bush for final
approval.
The Native American Veterans' Cemetery Act would allow tribal
governments to apply for grants to establish, expand, and improve tribal
veterans' cemeteries. The act was included in a Veteran's Affairs
omnibus package in both the U.S. House and Senate. U.S. Rep. Tom
Udall, D-NM, has been a strong proponent of the act. In a prepared
statement released by his office, Udall said American Indians have the
highest record per capita of any ethnic group serving in the U.S. armed
forces, yet they lack the resources necessary to be buried close to
home. Tribal members currently are not eligible to apply for national
cemetery grant funds that pay the costs of cemetery creation and
maintenance. The costs of burials are often expensive and many tribes
chose to bury their ancestors outside of tribal land where such costs
are covered by grants. The New Mexico and Arizona legislatures have
passed resolutions in recent years that allow tribal governments to
apply for national veterans' cemetery funding, but this would mark the
first national act in support of this effort.