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TAHLEQUAH, OK - The Cherokee Nation will kick off Veterans Day early this year with a day filled with activities honoring our Nation's veterans. The Cherokee Nation Office of Veterans Affairs will host the celebration beginning at 5:30 a.m. and ending with the groundbreaking of the Cherokee Warriors Memorial on Friday, November 8.

The daylong celebration will begin with a traditional blessing of the grounds where the new Cherokee Warriors Memorial will be built. The Memorial will be a granite structure comprised of the Cherokee Nation seal surrounded by bricks that can be purchased and inscribed with the name of a veteran or other words of honor. A marble slab will stand at the top of the Seal. A tribute in both Cherokee and English will be inscribed on a granite slab. Three flagpoles will bear the flags of the Cherokee Nation, the United States of American and the POW MIA flag. Seven poles, representing the seven Cherokee clans, will stand at the entrance of the memorial. Any Cherokee can fly a flag on their clan's pole as a tribute to their veteran.

"We're excited about the activities we have planned for Veterans Day," said Principal Chief Chad Smith. "Cherokees have a rich history of military service and I think the inscription on the Warrior's Memorial slab appropriately sums up our feelings for our veterans."

The inscription reads: "A grateful Cherokee Nation dedicates this memorial to all Cherokee men and women, both living and dead, who have defended their families, their people, and their homeland."

Also included in the day's activities is a chopper fly-in by the Marine Corps UH-34D helicopter. The UH-34D was part of the HMM-362 squadron, known as the "Ugly Angels" and is the last documented helicopter to survive Vietnam combat.

"As a Vietnam veteran and former Marine, I am especially excited to have the 34D helicopter as part of our Veterans Day activities," said Rogan Noble, director of the Cherokee Nation Veterans Office. "The chopper is flown with some of her remaining crewmembers. This is a real honor and I hope that some of the local schools will come out and see this. It's a great opportunity for us to learn about military service and conflict from men and women who were actually there."

The chopper will fly in at 10:00 a.m., weather permitting. The groundbreaking service will begin at 2:00 p.m. and end at 4:00 p.m. The Stilwell High School band will be performing the National Anthem and Reverend D. Nichols of the Military Order of the Purple Heart will offer the invocation. Everyone is invited to attend. For more information, please contact the Cherokee Nation Veterans Office, phone: 918-456-0672 (ext.2694).