Every May, Americans pause from their everyday activities to remember the more than 1.2 million Americans who have laid down their lives in the defense of our freedom and way of life. This year, on the 26th of May we observe Memorial Day and pay tribute to those who have fallen through speeches, parades, prayers, moments of silence and other activities.

Southwest Virginia is home to thousands of veterans whose sacrifices and service deserve our recognition this Memorial Day. Our veterans deserve the highest level of treatment and respect from the federal government, and I am firmly committed to ensuring that those who served our nation during times of war have access to the government services they deserve.

Southwest Virginia does not currently have a veterans cemetery. The nearest one to our region is in the Eastern part of Virginia. So that we can properly honor the Southwest Virginians who have served our nation in uniform, I have made it a goal to build a veterans cemetery in the 9th District. Under long standing practice, the federal government finances the acquisition of the land and the construction of veterans cemeteries, and the states operate them once they are constructed. We are following that practice in the effort to build a 9th District cemetery for veterans.

In the Fall of 2006, we took the first step toward achieving our goal, when the U.S. Congress approved and the President signed into law legislation I authored directing the U.S. Army to convey 79.8 acres of land it owns near the Town of Dublin to the Commonwealth of Virginia for the purpose of establishing the region’s first veterans cemetery. Later this Summer, I look forward to taking part in Dublin in the formal transfer of the deed for the location of the cemetery.

The master plans for the cemetery are currently being prepared, and I am seeking a federal grant to fund construction of the facility. I expect the grant to be awarded in December of this year. Construction of the cemetery will begin in early 2009, and the cemetery is scheduled to be formally opened with a commissioning ceremony by Memorial Day 2010.

Veterans who have a desire to be buried in the cemetery may submit a pre-application for interment, which determines eligibility. For more information or to obtain a pre-application for interment, please contact my Pulaski constituent service office at 540.980.4310.

I am also firmly committed to the implementation of a new GI Bill which would restore full, four-year college scholarships for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans similar to the educational benefits available to veterans after World War II. Current GI educational benefits pay only about 70 percent of a public college education and 30 percent of a private college education. A new GI bill with full educational benefits will properly reward the honorable service of our veterans. For this reason, I am a coauthor of H.R. 2720, the Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act, which would provide this benefit to veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

This Memorial Day, there are many ways to pay proper tribute to veterans in our area and the fallen soldiers of our country. Some of these activities include:
• Visiting cemeteries and placing flags or flowers on the graves of fallen soldiers
• Visiting memorials of American wars or American war heroes
• Flying the American flag at half-staff until noon on Memorial Day
• Flying the POW/MIA flag on Memorial Day
• Participating in the National Moment of Remembrance. The National Moment of Remembrance is a special time on Memorial Day, beginning at 3 p.m. local time, to pause and reflect upon the meaning and purpose of Memorial Day. It is also an appropriate time for Taps to be played in honor of those who have died in serving our country on the battlefield.

As May 26, 2008 approaches, I encourage all Southwest Virginia residents to set aside time to appropriately honor our nation’s veterans and the men and women whose sacrifices have enabled the preservation of freedom in our time.

Rick Boucher is Congressman for the 9th District of Virginia, which includes the New River Valley. You can catch his Capitol Commentary regularly on newrivervoice.com.