.Courtesy of the Charlotte Observor
National veterans' cemetery to open in S.C. next year
By SUSANNE M. SCHAFER
Associated Press Writer
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http://www.cem.va.gov
FORT JACKSON, S.C. --Retired soldier George Goldsmith is so fond of the 600 acres of twisted underbrush and towering pines on this Army training base, he plans to stay here for all eternity.
But when Goldsmith, 68, is laid to rest at the national veterans' cemetery at Fort Jackson, the weeds and much of the forest will probably be gone.
Goldsmith is one of many military veterans eager to see the cemetery open here by next year. He wore an Army uniform for nearly 40 years, and now he's helping local, state and federal officials develop the cemetery site into a serene, resting place for veterans.
"It is going to be a setting that is very appealing, a place that is going to be very comfortable," said the retired two-star general, predicting it will be transformed into hallowed ground where people may "have some personal time with God."
The site will be the first of six national cemeteries to open across the country under legislation signed by President Bush in 2003.
Under organizers' sped-up time line, a 10-acre portion of the cemetery will be ready for casket burials by the end of 2008 - even as other portions are under construction.
"I think that when we finish, we are going to have something that we are proud of and the veterans deserve that," said Goldsmith, who served in the Army Reserves and also heads the Chamber of Commerce's military affairs committee in Columbia, which is located just five miles from Fort Jackson.
The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates some 977 World War II veterans are dying daily and pressure has been building to provide burial sites, says Bruce Burko of the National Cemetery Administration.
"Our number one priority is to open up the Fort Jackson cemetery as fast as possible," Burko said.
During a visit to the site, Burko explained that most veterans' cemeteries are built start-to-finish over four to five years, with burials taking place only after the entire site is completed.
Under the Fort Jackson plan, an initial 10-acre portion of the site "will be wrapped in, and it won't even be noticeable that one part was started earlier than the rest," Burko said.
Sweeping his arm across the horizon, Burko predicted an imposing entryway will lead to a park-like setting of wide grassy spaces, in time filled with the traditional small marble headstones.
Given the Colonial-era history of South Carolina and its conservative, red brick architecture, the formal entry buildings and other administrative buildings will probably take on a similar style, Burko said.
The other national cemeteries are planned for Sarasota and Jacksonville, Fla.; Birmingham, Ala.; Philadelphia; and Bakersfield, Calif., Burko said.
Most of Fort Jackson's sprawling 53,000 acres is used for basic training, firing ranges and military schools. The cemetery will be fenced and visitors won't be able to get onto the training areas, Burko said. A benefit for visitors is nearby Interstates 26 and 77, allowing easy access.
Scott Nahrwold, Fort Jackson's top civilian in charge of the day-to-day operations at the Army's largest training base, said he is one of many officials getting at least a phone call a week from curious veterans.
Nahrwold said he was touched by one veteran, who called and said his wife had died and his own health was failing.
"He wanted to make sure his wife could be buried, but then re-interred" when he passes away, so at some point they could share a grave at the site, Nahrwold said.
While private cemetery space may be purchased in advanced, it is not possible to reserve a grave site at a national cemetery. Graves are accorded to eligible veterans and their dependents on an "as-needed" basis, Burko said.
Two national cemeteries already located in South Carolina are filling up rapidly. A new state veterans' cemetery is expected to be open within several months - but it is only 65 acres.
The site on Fort Jackson will be almost ten times that size - complete with shelters for internment ceremonies, administration and visitors' buildings, an area for assembling funeral corteges.
The cemetery will be built in 10-year stages, with a potential for about 5,000 burials each year. It is being planned to accept burials for 300 years.
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Since I am 100% disabled you can imagine that I am glad to hear this, Fort Jackson is less than a 10 minute drive from our home, I will actually be able to go out and see the site before I die, which is more than most veterans get to do. By the time a veteran gets to a national cemetary they are usually deceased, I have seen the one at Beufort and it appear to be a Civil War Cemetary and I think it almost full if it's not full, but still it is about a 2 hour drive from home, not easily accessible for the family. But then again I don't want anyone coming every day, but there is something special about being buried with other veterans, some "hero's" most like me, just an average "regular joe". I served during the Vietnam Era and Desert Storm but like most soldiers I was there is about all that can be said for my service, I did it. My parents are buried at Riverside National Cemetary by March AFB, it's a serene place.Sphere: Related Content
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