There is one 90 miles away from Augusta, and now Georgia’s senior U.S. senator has joined the call to create a state Veterans Cemetery in Richmond County.
A news release from Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, said he has secured $150 million in a bipartisan funding bill for Grants for Construction of Veterans Cemeteries.
In a letter, Ossoff wrote to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins, said there should be enough funding to create a veteran’s cemetery in Augusta.
“The establishment of a veterans cemetery in Augusta would support the National Cemetery Administration’s goal of providing veterans reasonable access to burial benefits within 75 miles of the veteran’s home,” the news release quoted the lotter. “Augusta’s veterans deserve the access to these benefits a cemetery in Augusta would provide.”
Former Augusta Mayor Bob Young, himself a veteran of the Vietnam War, agrees. The greater Augusta area is home to 66,000 veterans, while the closest state veteran’s cemeteries are in Milledgeville, Ga., and Columbia, S.C., both more than 80 miles away.
“They want some certainty, some finality, to know that when their time comes, that they’ll be able to stay in this area, in a final resting place, in a veteran cemetery,” he told ABD. “We have some wonderful amenities here for active duty and retired military. The only component missing is that final resting place, a veteran cemetery, and the establishment of one is just one more reason for a service member to remain in this community when their time in service ends.”
Among the local organizations supporting the region’s military community is the CSRA Alliance for Fort Gordon. Dr. Tom Clark, CSM (Ret.), is the Alliance’s Executive Director. He said Fort Gordon is the region’s largest employer with an estimated $4.9 billion economic impact.
Clark said all four services, the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps, are represented on post. Additionally, there are fifteen major commands, including the U.S. Army Cyber Command and NSA Georgia.
“Augusta and surrounding communities have also grown into a retirement center for U.S. military personnel. Georgia is home to five state veteran cemeteries; however, the closest one to Fort Gordon, the Georgia Veterans Cemetery in Milledgeville, is over 90 miles away,” said Clark. “This is too far for our aging military and veteran population to travel for burial and visitation of their loved ones.”
He said they are requesting a VA construction grant for the Georgia Department of Veterans’ Services to establish a state veterans cemetery in Augusta.
Young has championed the creation of a local veteran’s cemetery for 25 years. The original idea was to develop it at Fort Gordon. However, after the 9/11 attacks, security at the post was increased with access more controlled.
The new proposed site is 200 acres near Gracewood State School and Hospital. Young said state Senators Max Burns (R-Dist23) and Harold Jones (D-Dist22) have been instrumental in securing state support for the project. Now, Ossoff’s bill increases the pot of federal money available for state veterans’ cemeteries.
“The cemeteries are awarded on a competitive basis annually, and applications such as the one the state puts in for Augusta are ranked, and we’ve never ranked high enough to be able to benefit from the available pool of funding,” said Young. “Senator Ossoff for the current budget year has been able to increase that pot of money, so the funds will trickle down as far as Augusta is on the priority list.”
Six years ago, it was estimated that the project would cost $10 million. Young believes increases in inflation and construction costs will push that to $13 million.
Working with Young to see the project through to fruition is Augusta Commissioner Don Clark. Clark is a U.S. Army veteran who served in Afghanistan. With the potential funding from the federal government, Young said they will be meeting with stakeholders this week to reaffirm commitments that have been made, particularly regarding the location.
“This is not just Bob Young and Don Clark out here doing this thing. We’ve had support from veterans’ organizations, individuals in the community. We’ve had support from local governments within the CSRA,” Young said. “A lot of people have really been supportive, not just saying that they support it, but actually contacting folks and doing things to try to make things happen to affect the construction of a state veteran’s cemetery in Augusta.”
