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$8.8 million grant presented to the State Veterans Cemetery - Medical Lake

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Natasha E. Stannard
  • 92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --  Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs presented an $8.8 million grant for the State Veterans Cemetery in Medical Lake Sept. 2, at the Spokane Regional Business Center.

The project entails construction of the cemetery's main entrance, a committal shelter, pre-placed crypts, standard burial areas, columbarium, in-ground remains burial areas, roads, a maintenance facility, an assembly area and supporting infrastructure.

The 80-acre site is located northwest of Medical Lake just off West Espanola Road, which is about 15 miles southwest of Spokane.

The cemetery will serve approximately 140,000 Washington Veterans and their families. The nearest national cemetery is VA's Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent, Wash., approximately 250 miles away.

"One of the long standing priorities of our prisoners of war has been to build an Eastern Washington Veterans Cemetery," John Lee, Washington State Veterans Affairs director, said.

This priority is one of the first legislative acts in the budget supported by the House, the Senate and Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire. Governor Gregoire appropriated funding at the state level for the Veterans Cemetery. 

"Our men and women in uniform continue to serve our country with much courage and devotion. No one performs a higher or more important public service than those that pay the costly price of our freedom and this cemetery will ensure that our veterans have a final resting place that honors their commitment and sacrifice," Governor Gregoire said. 

Frank K. Salvas, Director of Federal Veterans Affairs State Cemetery Grants Service, along with federal, state, and local officials presented the ceremonial check.

"Washington state is fully committed to supporting our veterans and this project is an important way to recognize those who have selflessly served our country," said Governor Gregoire. 

The purpose of the Veterans cemetery is to provide honors for the Veterans. The Veterans Affairs plan to create a final resting place of honor and distinction is moving rapidly, said Salvas. 

Lee said the partnership of the state and federal government made this project possible and made it right. A lot of planning, effort and team work went into this development. The project was presented to the Department of Veterans Affairs in 2007. Last December plans were made for the construction and completion of the facility. The ground breaking ceremony was on Memorial Day 2009 and construction began in August 2009. Construction is scheduled to be finished on May 31, 2010. 

"We have one purpose and that is to serve Veterans, and to do it as quickly and as appropriately as possible," Salvas said. 

This project has received a lot of support not only from the state, but from the community and military. 

"The retired chiefs group from Fairchild made the first public donation of $1,800," Lee said. 

"It's incredible how well and efficiently the state has worked with the Veterans Association to get this done and how everybody was able to get together to achieve this," Mike Gregoire, husband of Governor Gregoire, said. 

The core values honor, courage, commitment; integrity first, service before self, excellence in all we do; loyalty, duty, respect, service, honor, integrity, and courage, are values that Veterans served and lived by. This Veterans Cemetery is something that can make a great representation of that service.