By james art 
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – Virginia Eastern Kansas Health System’s Colmery-O’Neil VA Medical Center in Topeka and Dwight D. Eisenhower VA Medical Center in Leavenworth were scheduled to mark Native American Heritage Month with special ceremonies Monday morning.
Flag-raising ceremonies were scheduled for 830 a.m. Monday at the Colmery-O’Neil VA Medical Center, 2200 SW Gage Blvd. in Topeka; and 8:30 a.m. Monday at the Leavenworth VA Medical Center, 4101 4th Street Trafficway in Leavenworth.
Both ceremonies are scheduled to take place on the main pylon in front of Building 1 on each campus.
VA officials said in a news release that American Indians, Native Hawaiians and Alaska Natives “have a long history of service in the U.S. armed forces and have served with distinction in every major conflict for more than two centuries.”
The news release added that in 2024, “about 15,000 Native Americans are serving as active duty military and there are about 140,000 living Native veterans. In turn, more than 7,000 Native Americans give to veterans through their jobs in Virginia. Of these, nearly 2,000 people are veterans themselves. Virginia has never had more Native American employees than it does now.”
In the news release, organizers of Monday’s events said Native American Heritage Month is “not only a celebration of the ways Native Americans and tribes have shaped and shaped our American society, but also a recognition that we must work together with our fellow the tribe to help strengthen and recognize tribal sovereignty and self-determination. VA remains committed to this recognition to ensure that the federal government honors its fiduciary obligations.
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