Native Americans are considered to serve in the military at a higher rate than any other demographic, and a new exhibit coming to Sheridan College highlights that service.
The exhibit, "Patriot Nations: Native Americans in Our Nation's Armed Forces" is a 16-panel display that explains the history of Native people serving in the military. The panels will feature art, photography and essays.
It comes from the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C. and will be shown at the Kooi Library at Sheridan College.
Library Services Director Michelle Boule said it's important to bring this exhibit to Sheridan, especially as both Native American Veterans Day and Veterans Day approach.
"Because of the rich history in Wyoming with Native American people, I really wanted to be able to display something different that we don't generally talk about with that particular population which is their very long and their very loyal service to this nation," she said.
Native Americans have served in every major U.S. military conflict since the Revolutionary War. Boule said she sought out the display to also be an educational opportunity.
"It really is a great opportunity to explore some of that history that a lot of people don't know about," she said.
The exhibit will be up through December 20.
This comes as the National Museum of the American Indian is working on building the National Native American Veterans Memorial on the National Mall. It's expected to be dedicated on Veterans Day in 2020.
Have a question about this story? Contact the reporter, Catherine Wheeler, at cwheel11@uwyo.edu.
