WASHINGTON, D.C. ­— U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today announced that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) approved a new national VA cemetery in Fargo, to provide better access for North Dakotans – which includes more than 24,000 veterans and their families in the greater Fargo area – and to honor the servicemembers who fought to protect this country.‎

Long a champion of improving access to needed services for veterans in rural areas, Heitkamp helped pass a U.S. Senate bill in May which strengthened federal funding to make sure veterans and their families in rural communities ‎ can access national VA cemeteries.

“As we celebrate Independence Day this weekend, we also honor those who fought and died to protect our country‎,” said Heitkamp. “North Dakota has a proud tradition of military service, and it’s so crucial that all of our veterans – about a quarter of whom live in rural areas – have access to the national cemeteries where they can pay their respects to their brave fellow servicemembers and be laid to rest near loved ones and other servicemembers. That’s why this Independence Day, it’s welcome news that North Dakotans ‎will be able to honor those who fought to protect this country for generations to come.”

The new cemetery will be located on 40th Avenue Northwest – County Road 20, Cass County, North Dakota, and will be the state’s first national VA cemetery. The cemetery will be open to all veterans as well as armed servicesmembers who were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable, as well as their spouses, widow‎s or widowers, minor children, and unmarried adult children with disabilities under certain conditions.

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