Native Spirit: Oneida Veterans Memorial

This story will air Friday night on NBC26 at 10:00.

At the Oneida Veterans Wall, memories are preserved from America's first wars to its current ones.

"A veteran dies twice," Oneida Nation Veteran's Department Manager Kerry Metoxen said. "Physically dies, and then the second time is when everyone stops talking about him. This is a way of keeping their memory going."

The timeline at the wall keeps those memories going. It recognizes all the wars that Oneida Nation members fought it, and all of the tribal members who served.

"My favorite spot is World War II veterans," Metoxen said. "I just - there's something about the World War II veterans. They walked across from Europe if you will, right from the Normandy invasion. We've had a lot of our heroes from World War II."

Many of those veterans are reaching the end of their time.

"I buried almost all of our World War II veterans," Metoxen said. "We have a handful left."

They're physically gone, but the wall makes sure they're not forgotten.

"It's really an honor for me to be standing here," Metoxen said.