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| Wilson Legislation Establishes Albuquerque Veterans Cemetery |
November 11, 1999 |
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| ALBUQUERQUE -- During Veteran's Day ceremonies in Albuquerque today, Congresswoman Heather Wilson announced that she has introduced legislation for a national veterans cemetery to be located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. More than half of the 180,000 New Mexico veterans live in the Albuquerque/Santa Fe area.
"The Santa Fe National Cemetery will be full early in the next century and there are almost 200,000 veterans living in New Mexico," Wilson said. "One of the promises this country made to those who have served is that they would be placed with their comrades when they died. This new cemetery will honor that promise for New Mexico's veterans."
The legislation requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to Congress a report that sets a schedule for the establishment of the national cemetery in Albuquerque. The bill does not specify a location.
The 77 acre Santa Fe National Cemetery was established in the mid 1800's and cannot be expanded further. Current estimates are that the Santa Fe Cemetery will be closed to new burials in 2008. Nationally, 535,000 veterans were buried in national cemeteries in 1996 and internments are expected to grow yearly and peak in 2008 at 620,000.
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