Friday, August 31, 2007
Iowa Veterans Cemetery Receives $7.6 Million Federal Grant
Governor Culver also reminds Iowans to fly flags at half staff to honor fallen service men and women
(Des Moines) - Today, Iowa Governor Chet Culver accepted a $7.6 million grant check on behalf of the Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs to build the Iowa Veterans Cemetery. U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson, an Iowa native, attended the ceremony and presented the check to Governor Culver. The Governor was also joined by Congressman Leonard Boswell and Veterans Affairs Director Patrick Palmersheim. The Iowa Veterans Cemetery (IVC) will be the first state-owned and operated veterans cemetery in the State of Iowa. The cemetery will serve the veteran population throughout the state and when construction is completed, any eligible veteran, their spouse and eligible dependents may be interred at the cemetery. The cemetery is centrally located on 96 acres in Dallas County bordering Interstate 80 approximately 10 miles west of Des Moines near Van Meter, Iowa.
Governor Culver said, “The Iowa Veterans Cemetery will be more than just a final resting place for our soldiers; it will be a lasting tribute to the service and sacrifice of Iowa’s veterans. It will be a quiet, beautiful place, and will forever stand as a tribute to the generations of courageous Iowans who fought to protect and defend our freedom.”
Construction began in July 2007, with an anticipated opening around Memorial Day 2008. Thanks to the generous contribution of land by William and Susan Knapp and the Ronald and Margaret Kenyon families, and a combination of a federal grant and state funds, veterans and family members will have a new state benefit in the form of dignified military burial.
In his remarks, Governor Culver also spoke about Iowa’s future veterans, the brave men and women who are currently serving overseas in the Armed Forces and the Iowa National Guard. Sixty Iowa service men and women have given their lives as part of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Flags at today’s ceremony were at half staff to honor Master Sgt. Scott Carney from Ankeny who was killed last Friday in Afghanistan. The Governor reminds Iowans to honor Executive Order Number One issued on January 27, 2007. In that Executive Order, Governor Culver ordered that flags be flown at half staff to honor each fallen soldier.