Akicita Owicahe Lakota Freedom Veterans Cemetery, Kyle, SD 7/10/14

Oglala Sioux tribal officials, veterans and spectators gathered Wednesday on a hilltop east of Kyle to dedicate the Akicita Owicahe Lakota Freedom Veterans Cemetery, the second of its kind in the nation.

Two iron gates adorned with metal eagle feathers greet visitors who can then view a driveway lined with American flags. An information and visitors center sits at the end of the drive. 

The cemetery has 320 burials vaults, a traditional burial ground where graves will be dug by hand and a shelter for urns. It consists of 18 acres on a 63-acre site.

The site was made possible by a $6.5 million grant by the Department of Veterans Affairs. It is the second in the nation to be built since 2006, when the VA opened its cemetery grants program to tribal governments. The Rosebud Sioux Tribe completed the first one in 2012 with a $7 million grant.

Ghost Bear / Kurtz Joint Venture thanks Oglala Sioux Tribe for including us on their team to make the Akicita Owicahe Lakota Freedom Veterans Cemetery a reality!

Tribal members carry staffs and flags Wednesday into the Akicita Owicahe Lakota Freedom Veterans Cemetery eight miles east of Kyle for a dedication ceremony. The tribal veterans cemetery is the second of its kind in the nation and was funded by a grant from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

 

An information and visitors center is one of the features at the new Akicita Owicahe Lakota Freedom Veterans Cemetery, which is eight miles east of Kyle.

 

Color guard members hold flags Wednesday morning during the Akicita Owicahe Lakota Freedom Veterans Cemetery dedication.