Patriot Nations Exhibit on display until April 29, 2018

Native Americans have served in every major U.S. military encounter from the Revolutionary War to today’s conflicts in the Middle East in higher numbers per capita than any other ethnic group.  Patriot Nations:  Native Americans in Our Nation’s Armed Forces reveals the remarkable history of Native American veterans through art, photography, and essay.  The 16-panel exhibition documents 250 years of Native peoples’ contributions in U.S. military history will be on display until April 29, 2018, at the Coos History Museum, 1210 North Front Street, in Coos Bay.   “We are very honored to have been selected as a host site for this important exhibit. Native Americans have made and continue to make incredible contributions and sacrifices to our country. This is a must see exhibit!”, said Susan Tissot, Executive Director of the Coos History Museum. Patriot Nations:  Native Americans in Our Nation’s Armed Forces at the Coos History Museum was produced by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian.  “Tens of thousands of Native Americans joined the U.S. armed forces during World Wars I and II,” said Herman J. Viola, curator emeritus of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and curator of “Patriot Nations.” “Forty-four thousand Native Americans served in World War II; the entire population of Native Americans was less than 350,000 at the time. They are Purple Heart recipients and Bronze Star medal honorees. Many have been recognized with the Congressional Medal of Honor, the United States’ highest military award.” Patriot Nations also calls attention to the creation of the National Native American Veterans Memorial on the grounds of the museum on the National Mall. Congress has charged the museum with building the memorial to give “all Americans the opportunity to learn of the proud and courageous tradition of service of Native Americans in the Armed Forces of the United States.” Working together with the National Congress of American Indian, Native American veterans, tribal leaders, historians and cultural experts, the museum will complete the memorial by Veteran’s Day 2020. For more information about the memorial, visit the website at: AmericanIndian.si.edu/NNAVM. Patriot Nations: Native Americans in Our Nation’s Armed Forces was produced by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. The exhibition was made possible by the generous support of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. About the National Museum of the American Indian: The National Museum of the American Indian is committed to advancing knowledge and understanding of the Native cultures of the Western Hemisphere — past, present and future — through partnership with Native people and others. Follow the museum via social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To learn more about the museum’s mission, visit AmericanIndian.si.edu. The Coos History Museum will waive admission to military veterans and their spouse/partner through December 31, 2018.  The free admission program was created through generous financial support from the Coquille Tribal Community Fund and the Mr. and Mrs. Michael L. Keiser Foundation. During 2018, the Coos History Museum special exhibit focus is dedicated to honoring veterans.  There will be 4 special exhibits this year, beginning with the Smithsonian’s Patriot Nations: Native Americans in Our Nation’s Armed Forces, Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs exhibit entitled I Am Not Invisible, United States Coast Guard Art, and the Coos History Museum’s Vet Ink:  Military Inspired Tattoos.  For exhibit run dates, please visit the Coos History Museum website at www.cooshistory.org.