A groundbreaking was held for the expansion of the Burgess-Oocumma National Tribal Veterans Cemetery in Cherokee, N.C. on the afternoon of Tuesday, Nov. 10. Shown, left to right, are Tsisqwohi (Birdtown) Rep. Boyd Owle; Dinilawigi (Tribal Council) Taline Gahvsgi (Vice Chairman) David Wolfe; Frank Cucumber; Dinilawigi Gahvsgi (Chairman) Jim Owle; Sam Ball; Wayohi (Wolftown) Rep. Bo Crowe; Kolanvyi (Big Cove) Rep. Lavita Hill; Steve Youngdeer American Legion Post 143 Commander David McQueen; Tutiyi nole Tsalagi Gadugi (Snowbird and Cherokee County) Rep. Adam Wachacha; Jack Welch; Jeanne Burgess, niece of Sgt. John Burgess; Kolanvyi Rep. Venita Wolfe, Lori Owle, niece of Sgt. John Burgess; EBCI Military & Veterans Affairs director Gerard Ball; Wilson Oocumma; Wilbur Paul; Ugvwiyuhi (Principal Chief) Michell Hicks; Little Miss Cherokee Mattie Awee Moore, whose father, SSG Matthew Moore, is currently deployed; Grace Lauver; and Mary Thompson. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather photos)
By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
One Feather Asst. Editor
CHEROKEE, N.C. – After being dedicated in 2022, the Burgess-Oocumma Veterans Memorial Cemetery was designated recently the Burgess-Oocumma National Tribal Veterans Cemetery, and a sizable grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration (NCA) will help the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) honor its veterans for generations to come. A groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion work was held on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026 at the Cemetery which is located in Wayohi (Wolftown) off of Jarrett Blythe Homestead Drive in Cherokee, N.C.
Gerard Ball, EBCI Military & Veteran Affairs director, said on Tuesday, “Today, we are doing much more than breaking ground. We’re keeping a promise – a promise to our veterans, a promise to their families, a promise to the generations who came before us, and a promise to the Cherokee men and women who will carry the warrior tradition of our people into generations yet to come.”
Gerard Ball, EBCI Military & Veteran Affairs director, speaks during the event.
Ball added, “A warrior was a protector – a protector of the family, a protector of the community, a protector of the land, and a protector of the Cherokee people and our way of life. That warrior spirit still lives within the Cherokee veterans sitting among us today and that is why this cemetery must be more than a cemetery. It must be Cherokee.
Throughout this cemetery, our language will have a place of honor. From the trees and shrubs, to the earth beneath our feet, everything within this sacred place has been approached with the honor and respect it deserves. Our Cherokee language will be present here. Our culture will be present here. Our traditions will be present here. And the warrior spirit of the Cherokee people will be present here.”
The Cemetery was named in memory and honor of Sgt. John Burgess and PFC John Edward Oocumma – both members of the EBCI who were killed in action during the Vietnam War. This is the 15th National Tribal Veterans Cemetery in Indian Country.
Sgt. Burgess, a soldier with the 9th Infantry Division, was killed in action on April 18, 1969 at the age of 22. PFC Oocumma, a soldier with the 4th Infantry Division, was killed in action on Feb. 16, 1967 at the age of 25. Sgt. Burgess’ name appears on Panel W27, Line 105 of the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C., and PFC Oocumma’s name appears on Panel 15E, Line 49.
For his service, Sgt. Burgess received the Silver Star with one oak leaf cluster, Bronze Star Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Purple Heart, Vietnam Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, and the Combat Infantryman’s Badge. PFC Oocumma received the Silver Star, Purple Heart, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Service Medal, and the Combat Infantryman’s Badge.
Ball went on to say, “Here in Wolftown, in the heart of our ancestral homeland, we are creating a place where the journey of a Cherokee warrior can finally end where it began – at home. Here, our Cherokee language will surround them, the mountains will stand watch over them, the earth of their people will receive them, and generations of Cherokee children will walk these grounds, read these names, hear these stories, and understand these were our warriors, these were our veterans, these were our people.
As this project went on, it means more. It means more to me as a veteran…long after we’re gone, this is a place of stories. This is not meant to be a place of sadness…I want this to be a place of fun, and laughing, and homecoming, and remembrance, and not a sad place.”
Ball also related that a part of the new expansion will see a Memorial Wall built with the names of Cherokee veterans who are buried overseas.
Ugvwiyuhi (Principal Chief) Michell Hicks said, “There’s a lot of effort that’s gone into this project. There was an oversight committee…I remember Ernest Sneed, I remember Ray Kinsland, I remember Herb Burgess, and I remember Mary Wachacha…they had responsibility for these grounds a long time to make sure that they were protected, but also what do they look like in the future in regards to our veterans and making sure that families had a place – they had a place not only for gravesites, but had a place to come worship and to come pray. I’m thankful today that we have given so many sacrifices.”
According to the NCA, the grant totals $3,739,379. Information from NCA states, “The tribal cemetery will serve veterans and their eligible family members. The grant will fund the cemetery with construction of 250 in-ground burial plots, 190 columbarium niches, memorial wall, maintenance building (partial), committal shelter, flag plaza, hardscape, landscape, and supporting infrastructure and equipment.”
Tutiyi nole Tsalagi Gadugi (Snowbird and Cherokee County) Rep. Adam Wachacha, a veteran of the U.S. Army, told the crowd, “As a Cherokee, and a United States Army veteran, I am honored to stand with you for the opening of this Veterans Cemetery. Today we make a lasting commitment to those who have served, that their service will be remembered, their families will have our support, and their final resting place will be cared for with dignity.
This photos shows one of the renderings for the project which was completed by CDC (Civil Design Concepts, PA) of Asheville, N.C.
Military service takes many forms. Some served in combat. Others trained our soldiers, maintained our equipment, cared for the wounded, or stood ready whenever duty placed them. Each accepted the responsibilities of wearing the uniform, and each deserves our gratitude. We also honor the families who served alongside them – the spouses who carried responsibilities at home, the children who endured long separations, and the parents who waited for word that their loved ones were safe.”
Rep. Wachacha also stated, “For our Cherokee people, home holds deep meaning. It is where our families, our histories, and our responsibilities to one another come together. This cemetery gives our veterans a place of honor here at home among the people and the mountains they knew and loved. In the years ahead, families will come here to grieve, to remember, and to sit quietly with someone they miss. Children will read these names and ask who these men and women were. It’s our responsibility to tell their stories.”
Dinilawigi (Tribal Council) Gahvsgi (Chairman) Jim Owle, a U.S. Navy veteran, commented, “This will be more than a burial ground. It will be a place of honor, remembrance, and homecoming. It will allow all Cherokee veterans to rest among their own people within their ancestral homelands.
People don’t realize what a sacrifice it is, no matter what service branch you’re in. It’s a sacrifice being away from your family, spending the time away from your family all the time. It’s a lot of work and a lot of commitment.”
VA Undersecretary for Memorial Affairs Sam Brown, said in a statement when the grant was announced, “These grants enable the states and tribes to better serve veterans and their families where they live. Because of this program, more than 94 percent of veterans living in the United States have access to the burial benefits they have earned at a cemetery within 75 miles of where they live.”
Tohisgi Climbingbear, an EBCI tribal member and Cherokee second language learner, gave the opening prayer, and students and teachers from the CLMAP (Cherokee Language Master Apprentice Program) sang the United Cherokee Nation Anthem to open the program. Later, they sang “Amazing Grace” in the Cherokee language.
