American Indian Veterans Memorial to be dedicated at Riverside National Cemetery
A memorial for Native American veterans that’s been decades in the making will be unveiled Saturday, May 2, at Riverside National Cemetery.
Dedication of the new American Indian Veterans Memorial - the first of its kind at a U.S. national cemetery - is set for 10:30 a.m. The program will include speeches in the cemetery amphitheater, a procession to the new memorial’s plaza, bird singing, drumming and dancing.
The memorial plaza, which cost over $3 million to build, was funded through community donations and support. It is near the cemetery’s amphitheater by a lake on the property’s southern side.
The memorial is centered on the A. Thomas Schomberg sculpture The Gift, which portrays a Native American veteran draped in the original 13-star American flag and has been a mainstay at the Riverside cemetery. Around the plaza are granite blocks on which people can sit and reflect and a dry creek bed that honors the natural landscape.
Efforts to build the memorial over the past decade were spearheaded by the American Indian Alaska Native Veterans Memorial Committee, the Riverside National Cemetery Support Committee, the Morongo Band of Mission Indians and local tribes.
Those scheduled to attend Saturday’s dedication include Morongo Band of Mission Indians Chairman Charles Martin; Rep. Mark Takano, D-Riverside; the families of Native American veterans; and Elliott Morris Jr., the son of the late Navajo code talker and World War II veteran Joe Morris Sr., who is buried at the cemetery.
Organizers hope the memorial will honor the sacrifice of thousands of Native American veterans who served the country, many of whose stories remain unknown.
The event will last from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the cemetery, 22495 Van Buren Blvd., Riverside.
Information: 951-306-5656
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This story was originally published April 30, 2026 at 1:31 PM.