 |
| Letter to VA Secretary Nicholson regarding VA Cemetery |
January 31, 2006 |
| |
| The Honorable James Nicholson Secretary, Veterans Administration 810 Vermont Avenue NW Washington D.C. 20420 Dear Secretary Nicholson, Thank you for your continued efforts on behalf of New Mexico’s veterans. I’d like to update you on local efforts to expand the Santa Fe National Cemetery to ensure that New Mexico’s veterans will always have a final resting site. As you know, this is an issue of personal interest to me and I have worked for years to ensure proper burial space for our veterans. Your office of VA National Cemetery Construction Management recently received a proposal from the new owners of property adjacent to the existing cemetery. This land, in conjunction with land recently donated by the City of Santa Fe, could be used to prolong the use of the Santa Fe National Cemetery. With the additional land - a combined total of 19.7 acres -it’s possible the Cemetery could continue to accept new internments for more than 60 years. This will provide a resting place for an additional 34,000 New Mexico veterans. I would ask the Veterans Administration to review the proposal and to assess the costs and benefits of this approach compared to establishing a new Veterans cemetery in north central New Mexico when Santa Fe is closed to new internments. I look forward to continuing to work with you on this effort. If there is anything I can do, please do not hesitate to contact me or my staff by calling (505) 346-6781. Sincerely, Heather Wilson Member of Congress |
|
|
|