In a ceremony scheduled yesterday, a monument to Native American veterans was dedicated at the Rhode Island Veterans Memorial Cemetery

That monument is the brainchild of Charles “Snow Bear” Smith Jr., a Warwick resident and member of the Seaconke Wampanoag Tribe. Smith, a cemetery specialist at RI Veterans Cemetery, noticed that while many other groups had memorials honoring the service of members, no such memorial existed for Native veterans. A long process to find Native veterans buried at the Exeter cemetery ensued, with Smith identifying more than 110 veterans from 12 different tribes buried at the cemetery.

Smith is a past recipient of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees’ (AFSCME) Never Quit Service Award, which, according to the AFSCME, is awarded to members who are “proudly committed to the public service that makes America work.”

Smith’s father was a veteran of three wars, fighting in World War II, Korea and Vietnam.

The monument consists of an arch and a stone marker, with symbols on the marker representing the twelve Native tribes with veterans buried at the cemetery. Also on the monument is a turtle, which represents Mother Earth in many Native cultures.