TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – VA Eastern Kansas Health Care Systems Colmery-O’Neil VA Medical Center in Topeka will celebrate and honor First Nations during Native American Heritage Month in November.

The Topeka campus will have a flag-raising ceremony to commemorate, celebrate and kick off Native American Heritage Month at 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 4.

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 over two centuries.

Approximately 15,000 Native Americans serve as active duty military, and there are approximately 140,000 Native American veterans alive today. In turn, more than 7,000 Native Americans give back to veterans through their employment with the VA. Of those, nearly 2,000 are veterans themselves. The VA has never had more Native American employees than it does now.

Native American Heritage Month is not only a celebration of how Native Americans and tribes have shaped and shaped American society, but also a recognition that we must work together with our tribal counterparts to help strengthen and recognize tribal sovereignty and self-determination .

The Dwight D. Eisenhower VA Medical Center in Leavenworth will also have a flag raising ceremony to commemorate, celebrate and kick off Native American Heritage Month at 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 1.

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