TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL)-- The National Cemetery Administration honors veterans and their families with final resting places in national shrines with lasting tributes that commemorate their service. And on Friday, more than 200 acres of land in Florida's capital city was designated as the future site of the Tallahassee National Cemetery.
More than 83,000 veterans call the Big Bend home, but there was never any land for the use of a national cemetery. The Interim Undersecretary for Memorial Affairs of the Department of Veterans' Affairs explained how the need for a cemetery developed.
When we were looking over our burial access policies we realized that there were pockets of veterans that really were not served properly with an existing national cemetery and Tallahassee was one of those areas," said Ronald E. Walters.
The Tallahassee National Cemetery will be located at 5015 Appalachee Parkway.
"When the property was purchased by the veterans affair that's when we knew it was real because we had been talking about it for a long time they purchased they hired a contractor the contractor started the work and it's an unbelievable job," said Lieutenant Colonel Cliff Palmer.
Starting June 1, the National Cemetery Scheduling Office will start accepting burial requests for the cemetery. The first burials are expected to begin within 12 months of the start of construction. The cemetery is expected to be completed by September 2016 and will feature an administration building, a memorial walkway, and a flag pole assembly area.
