Hundreds gather in Wheaton to celebrate Native American veterans

Through music and colorful demonstrations, visitors at Cantigny Park Saturday learned a lot about American Indians' contributions to the U.S. military.

Hundreds of American Indian veterans gathered in Wheaton to celebrate and remember those contributions, some of the most notable being the use of native languages in military communications to prevent messages from being deciphered by the enemy.

World War II and Korean War veteran Charles Norman Shay, who served as a combat medic and advocated for the creation of a Native American Heritage Day, was one of the keynote speakers at the event, which was free and open to the public.

Native musicians, including Gabriel Ayala and Wade Fernandez, and poet Bunky Echo-Hawk put on live performances. Native arts and crafts vendors also had their work on display, and kids had a chance to get their faces painted and walk through an American Indian village.

The National Gathering of Native Veterans will continue today from 9 a.m. to noon. Veterans and national leaders will meet to discuss issues affecting native veterans. Members of the public are invited but must pay $5 to enter.