S.C. rep. fights to expand vet cemetery
Posted : Saturday Dec 27, 2008 15:38:18 EST
BEAUFORT, S.C. — Rep. Joe Wilson has written two bills to expand Beaufort National Cemetery less than a year after he refused to support the effort as he fought earmarks.
The Republican backs buying a 5-acre apartment complex and studying what other land might be available to expand the Civil War era veterans cemetery, saying the purchase will assure the cemetery doesn’t run out of room until well after 2030.
“That cemetery is a national shrine. From what I understand, that property is for sale, but it’s only available for a certain period of time, so there is a sense of urgency here. Land is valuable everywhere, but it’s especially valuable in Beaufort. This property would enhance the aesthetics of the cemetery and square off the cemetery,” Wilson told The Beaufort Gazette.
A panel of retired military officials trying to figure out how to expand the cemetery, which currently has nearly 20,000 graves, recommend the federal government buy the apartment complex land for $3.2 million in March, but Wilson refused, citing a one-year moratorium on all earmark requests to his office.
At the time, Wilson said it wasn’t a rejection of the idea, but instead “a response to a wasteful system that does not reward merit and which puts well-deserving projects at a disadvantage.”
Wilson was re-elected to his fourth full term in November in his toughest race since winning the seat in a special election in 2001.
Even with Wilson’s backing, the cemetery will likely not get the money because it has expanded twice in recent years, said Bernie Bowse, director of the cemetery.
“If it’s between our cemetery, which has more than 20 to 30 years of burial space available, and another cemetery that only has another year of burial space, the VA will have to prioritize,” said Bowse, who added he appreciated Wilson’s efforts.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
S.C. rep. fights to expand vet cemetery
