Sgt. Daniel Two Crow, Soldier with the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), and his wife, Nikki, were invited to attend the Native Nations Inaugural Ball at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of the American Indian Jan. 20.

The invitation went out for a Native American active duty Soldier and Two Crow was able to accept the invitation.

Two Crow is a native Lakota Indian from South Dakota.

According to Mary Fox, special events manager at the museum, proceeds from the ball are going toward a National Native American Veterans Memorial to be built at the museum.

Because of this, she explained, museum donors extended invitations to Native American active duty service members and veterans from the region to attend the ball.

At the ball, guests were invited to write the names of Native American veterans on the Native American Veterans Wall of Honor.

Two Crow wrote the name of his father, Roger Two Crow, who -- according to Nikki -- is a proud Vietnam veteran who also served in the U.S. Army.

Nikki noted that the best part of the evening was getting to meet two World War II Navajo Code Talkers, who addressed the guests at the ball.

"We had the pleasure of hearing them speak," she said.