VETERAN LEGACY PROJECT

The Veterans’ Legacy Program was launched by the National Cemetery Administration under the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in order to bring to life the stories of the veterans interred at national cemeteries to educate future generations and honor the legacy of our nation’s heroes. It is a broad collection of public history materials that tell the story of America’s veterans buried in the five national cemeteries in the Black Hills region. 

The five cemeteries that the Veteran’s Legacy Program will be featuring are: Black Hills National Cemetery, Ft. Meade National Cemetery, Hot Springs National Cemetery, Lakota Freedom Veterans Cemetery, and Rosebud Sioux Tribe Veterans Cemetery. Black Hills State University will be conducting the project with students and professors from different areas of study. Public history materials, such as self-guided tours and creative biographies, will be created by the History and English departments for an online text that will explore the lives of veterans, their experiences in the military, and life after the military. Education majors will be creating lesson plans that meet education standards for teachers to use in the classroom. These lesson plans will focus on all aspects of the cemeteries including specific veterans, wars, commendations, and other topics. 

The goal of this project is to honor America’s heroes by making national cemeteries not only a place to visit but also a place of local history and memory. If you have a family member interred at one of these cemeteries and would like to register his or her information in our database, please complete the form below.  Questions can be sent to Kelly.Kirk@BHSU.edu.

We honor your veteran’s service and your family’s sacrifices.