Below: Rex Hailey, Seminole Nation Honor Guard commander, middle, and other members of the guard stand at attention Sunday during the singing of national anthem at the ceremony.

SEMINOLE — Two Oklahoma tribes are taking part in the largest expansion of national veterans cemeteries since the Civil War.

The Ponca Tribe and the Seminole Nation received grants through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to build veterans cemeteries on tribal lands. The Seminole Nation Cemetery and Veterans Memorial, located in Seminole, was dedicated in November. The Ponca Tribe's veterans cemetery is nearing completion in Kay County.

George Eisenbach, director of the VA program, said the grants are intended to place veterans cemeteries in areas where there isn't a national cemetery nearby.

Before the construction of the two tribal cemeteries, Oklahoma was home to two national cemeteries: Fort Sill National Cemetery, near Lawton, and Fort Gibson National Cemetery, near Muskogee.