April 12, 2013 - Since 2005, Erma Vizenor, chair of the White Earth Nation and Minnesota Indian Affairs Council, has been working to secure a memorial for American Indian veterans, many of whom have served in wars as early as the American Revolution.Her efforts could pay off.
Passed by the House 129-0 Thursday, HF143, sponsored by Rep. John Persell (DFL-Bemidji), would place a plaque honoring Minnesota’s American Indian veterans among other veteran plaques in the Court of Honor on the Capitol grounds. The Minnesota Indian Affairs Council would absorb the memorial expenses.
The bill now moves to the Senate, where Sen. Rod Skoe (DFL-Clearbrook) is the sponsor.
In addition to honoring veterans, the plaque would promote a better understanding of American Indians’ involvement in peacetime and wartime service, Blake Johnson, a lobbyist for the Prairie Island Indian Community said at a House State Government Finance and Veterans Affairs Committee meeting. read more>>>
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