OPEN TO VETERANS IN JANUARY 2009

Washington, Aug 27, 2008 - “I am thrilled that the cemetery will be completed and available for internment in the next couple of months. This new cemetery will serve nearly 200,000 veterans in the Jacksonville area who currently do not have access to a veterans cemetery," said Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Sixth). “I have been working hard to establish this cemetery for over 12 years and I am very pleased with the progress the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is making. Furthermore, I encourage anyone who needs further information on the cemetery to contact my Orange Park office or call the VA’s new information line at 1-800-535-1117, or 904-358-3510.

Since 1996, Stearns has pushed for developing a VA cemetery in Jacksonville. The new cemetery was authorized with the enactment of H.R. 1516, the National Cemetery Expansion Act. H.R. 1516 included language from Stearns' bill, H.R. 197, directing the VA to establish a national cemetery in Jacksonville.