Pala partners with AIANV Memorial Committee to honor Native American veterans

PALA – Pala Casino Spa & Resort and the Pala Band of Mission Indians have partnered with the American Indian Alaska Native Veterans Memorial Committee to educate the public about the military service of Native Americans to the United States of America and to help support the funding of a national memorial to those veterans.

To launch the Pala fundraising campaign, a half size replica of “The Gift,” the memorial to those veterans, will be displayed in the Pala Casino Spa & Resort hotel lobby from Sept. 1 until Nov. 30. The replica is an exact copy of the 12-foot bronze statue that will serve as the centerpiece of the memorial and has been on tour in California’s American Indian-owned casinos and resorts since Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2016. The final installation includes the monument surrounded by soaring bronze eagles on pedestals placed in a landscaped viewing area.

The monument, created by renowned sculptor A. Thomas Schomberg, will be the first national memorial in a national veterans’ cemetery to honor over 200 years of patriotism by America’s original inhabitants. The memorial will be located at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, which is often cited as the Arlington of the West because it is home to the Medal of Honor Memorial, the Veterans Memorial and the Prisoner of War / Missing in Action Memorial.

The American Indian Alaska Native Veterans Memorial Committee hopes to raise $3 million to complete the installation at Riverside National Cemetery.

“The Pala Band of Mission Indians and all our team members at Pala Casino are very proud to play a role in this history-making program,” Robert Smith, chairman of the Pala Band of Mission Indians, said. “With our reputation for community service, we know we can make a significant contribution to this long-awaited honor and recognition for Native Americans.”

Donations to the memorial fund may be made online through PayPal or by mail at www.aianveteransmemorial.com; by utilizing the pamphlet tear-out at the Pala display or by donating to the Gofundme campaign at www.gofundme.com/national-indian-veterans-memorial.