Tribe celebrates cemetery for vets

$3.3 million grant awarded by VA

The Yurok Tribe on Thursday celebrated a veteran’s cemetery slated to be built on the reservation in Klamath for all native people who have served in the miliary.

“It was a very festive affair,” said Matt Mais, a spokesperson for the Yurok Tribe.

The tribe was recently awarded $3.3 million from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to construct the cemetery.

At the celebration were 50 Yurok men and women who have served in the military from World War II to the current conflicts.

The architect of the cemetery spoke to the crowd. Also in attendance were representatives of the Veterans Affairs office.

“They’re really excited about the work the tribe is doing,” Mais said.

The cemetery of about five acres will be located on the eastern side of the reservation, south of the Klamath River. The grant will fund the construction of a main entrance, roads, an assembly area, a committal shelter, full casketed grave sites, cremains grave sites, landscaping, a memorial walkway and supporting infrastructure. The cemetery will include171 standard burial grave sites and 161 cremains grave sites.

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, more American Indians have served in the military than any other ethnic group, Mais said.

The Yurok Tribe has a number of veterans, including three of its council members, Mais said. The tribe is working to compile data on how many tribal members have ever served in the military, he said.