Nebraska Receives Authorization to Proceed with State Veteran Cemetery Project

(Lincoln, Neb.) Gov. Dave Heineman received word this week that Nebraska has been approved to move forward with plans to build the state’s first veterans cemetery.

 The National Cemetery Administration within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will provide approximately $5 million in federal funding to build the Nebraska State Veteran Cemetery. The cemetery is planned to occupy 22 acres of land donated by the city of Alliance in western Nebraska.

 “With this good news, we can now work on making the dream for this project a reality,” Gov. Heineman said. “This has been a long-time wish for many people and veterans groups across Nebraska and I’m very pleased that our federal partners recognize the value of this project. With this commitment, we should be able to get construction underway yet this fall.”

 In 2006, Sen. LeRoy Louden of Ellsworth sponsored LB 996, which allowed the state to contribute to veterans’ cemetery projects. A combination of state and local funds raised by the High Plains Veterans’ Cemetery Task Force allowed initial plans for the cemetery to be developed and submitted for federal review. When completed, the cemetery will be operated by the Nebraska Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

 Sen. Louden said “This is wonderful news. The High Plains Veterans Cemetery has been my first priority since I came to the Legislature six years ago. With Governor Heineman’s help, the cemetery is going to become a reality and a great addition to the city of Alliance, Box Butte County and western Nebraska. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has said that our project is a model of city, county, state, and federal cooperation.”

 John Hilgert, director of the Nebraska Department of Veterans’ Affairs, said, “This will be a place of honor and peace for the heroes that have served our country and we are excited to be able to move forward with this project that will help honor the commitment of our former service members.”