VA HAS SELECTED ARLEEN VINCENTY AS CEMETERY DIRECTOR AND HAS NAMED NEW CEMETERY

Washington, Apr 1, 2008 - "This new cemetery willserve 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 am pleased with the progress the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is making in preparing for construction of the first phase this summer, in selecting the first director for the cemetery, and in naming the site the 'Jacksonville VA National Cemetery.'" The VA has selected Arleen Vincenty as the first director of the new national cemetery. Vincenty had been the director of the Puerto Rico National Cemetery.

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.