Officials push for East Texas state veterans cemetery

LONGVIEW – Our news partners at KETK report that a public meeting was held in Longview on Monday to help bring a much-wanted State Veterans Cemetery to East Texas. The state cemetery board and a local family met in Longview on Monday to generate local support for how they want to honor these heroes in East Texas. Debra Christian of Gregg County has always wanted to honor her father, who fought to protect his country. “Being a military family, the military brat, that’s just all my dad would have wanted,” said Christian. When her father passed away, Christian wanted to honor his service by having him buried at a state veteran’s cemetery, but that meant he would have to be laid to rest far from home. “I started realizing a need because my father was a combat solider and when he came home there was an issue with being buried at a state cemetery because of distance,” said Christian.

The closest veteran cemetery for many East Texans is more than 100 miles away.

Christian knows how distance affects other families so her family decided to give up more than 60 acres of land that could one day become a veteran cemetery in East Texas.

Dr. John Kelley, director of State Cemeteries for the Veterans Land Board said the distance is too far for loved ones to travel.

“Some of these areas in East Texas are considered served by the Northwest Louisiana State Veteran Cemetery and of course Texans don’t want to be interred in Louisiana if we can provide a cemetery here in East Texas,” said Kelley.

On July 1, an application will be submitted for federal funding, but Dr. Kelley said they could be on the waitlist for years.
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“That’s really where, our federal elected officials, our senators or US representatives from this area all can make a difference in terms of contacting the National Cemetery Administration,” said Kelley.

If the plans are accepted, the cemetery will be located in Hallsville off of I-20 and join the five other veteran’s cemeteries in the state.

“The fact that we were able to donate this type of land for the future, would make dad proud,” said Christian.

Dr. Kelley and Christian will generate more support in Tyler on Nov. 14 by speaking to Korean War veterans.