Virginia Opens New Veterans Cemetary on land once used as the USA, Radford Army Ammunition Plant…
The Virginia Department of Veterans Services will hold the dedication ceremony for the Southwest Virginia Veterans Cemetery 6 MAY at 10 a.m. The ceremony will be held at the cemetery, located at 5550 Bagging Plant Road , Dublin , Virginia . In case of rain, the ceremony will take place at the Lions Club, 1 Lions Club Road . The Lions Club is directly across Bagging Plant Road from the cemetery. Adrian Cronauer, former U.S. Air Force Sergeant, radio personality, and the inspiration for the movie Good Morning Vietnam, will emcee the ceremony. Speakers will include The Honorable Terrie L. Suit, Virginia‘s Secretary of Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security, Congressman Morgan Griffith, and State Senator John Edwards. Paul Galanti, Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Veterans Services and former Vietnam POW, as well as Frank K. Salvas, Sr., Director, State Cemetery Grants Service, National Cemetery Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, will also speak.
The cemetery is located on an 80-acre parcel of land transferred from the Department of the Army, Radford Army Ammunition Plant to the Commonwealth of Virginia in 2008. Initial construction covers 24 acres and includes the main entrance area, full casketed and cremation burial areas, a columbarium, a memorial garden and scatter garden areas, roads, an assembly area, committal shelter, cemetery office, maintenance complex, and supporting infrastructure. Interment areas include 5,167 standard burial plots; 2,750 pre-placed crypts; 500 in-ground cremation spaces; and 625 columbarium niches for cremated remains. Additional grave sites will be added as needed. The Southwest Virginia Veterans Cemetery is Virginia ‘s third state-operated veterans cemetery. The Albert G. Horton, Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery is located in Suffolk and the Virginia Veterans Cemetery is located in Amelia. The cemeteries are operated by the Virginia Department of Veterans Services.
Service members who were honorably discharged qualify for burial in one of Virginia ‘s veterans cemeteries. Members of the National Guard/Reserves who served on federal active duty may also qualify. A grave site, opening and closing of the grave for the veteran, placement of a government grave marker, and perpetual care of the site are provided to the veteran at no charge. Veterans‘ spouses and eligible dependent children may be interred for a small fee, currently $300. For burial info on eligibility and application procedures for the Southwest Virginia Veterans Cemetery refer to http://www.dvs.virginia.gov/cemetery_southwest-project-overview.shtml. [Source: VADVS News Release 26 Apr 2011 ++]