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                  VA NEWS FLASH from Larry Scott at VA Watchdog dot Org -- 05-30-2008 #7		  






 


 
 

 


 



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SARASOTA VA CEMETERY GROUND BREAKING SET FOR

SUNDAY -- "I can't stress enough how important this site is.

It truly represents a national shrine in the local area. It will

finally allow people to bury their fallen heroes close by."

 

 

Story here... http://www.bradenton.com/local/story/639024.html

Story below:

 

-------------------------

VA cemetery ground breaking Sunday

By STACEY EIDSON
seidson@bradenton.com



SARASOTA -- For almost a decade, retired Army Lt. Col. Lee Kichen has helped campaign for a national veterans cemetery near Manatee and Sarasota counties to honor the men and women who have served in defense of the nation.

Nothing could keep him from attending Sunday's groundbreaking dedication ceremony for the Sarasota VA National Cemetery on 295 acres along State Road 72.

"I can't stress enough how important this site is," said Kichen, former president of the Sarasota County Veterans Commission. "It truly represents a national shrine in the local area. It will finally allow people to bury their fallen heroes close by."

The new cemetery is about four miles east of Interstate 75 and will eventually provide full burial space for about 400,000 veterans in the Manatee-Sarasota area.

Getting the authorization and funding for the new cemetery was no easy task, Kichen said.

Article continues below:

 

"It goes back almost 10 years," he said, explaining that the Department of Veterans Affairs and the VA's National Cemetery System began by conducting a need assessment study for cemeteries around the country. "They came up with a number of sites which included Birmingham, Ala., Bakersville, Calif., Greenville, S.C., and Sarasota."

When the study was first completed, Kichen said, local veterans were thrilled to find Sarasota at the top of the list for potential sites.

"But by the time the study finally got to Congress, Jacksonville, Fla., magically appeared on that list and Sarasota suddenly disappeared," Kichen said. "We immediately contacted former Congresswoman Katherine Harris and told her, 'We don't want to take away a cemetery from Jacksonville, but we wanted to ensure that Congress was aware of the need for the cemetery in southwest Florida.' "

Kichen said the closest cemetery that can still accommodate casketed remains is the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell.

Bay Pines National Cemetery in Pinellas County only has space available for cremated remains.

When Harris learned that Sarasota had been left off the list, she contacted Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., who was the chairman for the Senate Committee for Veterans' Affairs, and negotiated for Sarasota to be included in the legislation.

 "It was then the work that Congressman Vern Buchanan did to secure the $27 million to basically close the deal," Kichen said.

Getting the necessary funding for the national cemetery was a top priority for Buchanan after he took office, the congressman said.

"We have a large population of veterans who currently do not have access to a nearby national cemetery," said Buchanan, R-Sarasota. "I was pleased to have helped secure $27.8 million for the construction of the Sarasota VA National Cemetery. This cemetery will ensure that area veterans who have sacrificed on our behalf can be placed to rest close to home and with the honor and dignity they deserve."

The groundbreaking dedication for the new cemetery at 9810 S.R. 72 is scheduled for 2 p.m. Undersecretary for Memorial Affairs William Tuerk will be the keynote speaker, according to Jim Rich, public affairs specialist for the National Cemetery Administration.

"In the last 10 years, the Department of Veterans Affairs has opened 10 new national cemeteries, with six more national cemeteries currently in some stage of development," Rich said. "We expect to offer burial benefits at the Sarasota VA National Cemetery by this coming winter or at least by early 2009."

Sandra Beckley, director of the new cemetery, encouraged the public to attend the groundbreaking and help dedicate the grounds.

"With this site, there is a place that veterans can go and visit their comrades," she said. "And they have the comfort of knowing that they are going to have a final resting place that will always be taken care of."

For more information about the groundbreaking ceremony or the new cemetery, call 861-9840.

-------------------------

posted by Larry Scott
Founder and Editor
VA Watchdog dot Org

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