1st Iowa State Veterans Cemetery

[DoggyDaddy]

The VA awarded a $7.6 million grant to establish the first state veterans cemetery in Iowa near Des Moines.  Nearly 70,000 veterans live in this service area.  This fall construction is scheduled to begin nearly 10,000 gravesites, 750 in-ground cremation sites, and 768 columbarium niches. Interments should begin in the fall of 2008.  The VA's Keokuk National Cemetery in southeast  Iowa has space available. For information on VA burial benefits, go to  http://www.cem.va.gov or call 1-800-827-1000. For information on Iowa's state cemetery, go to  http://www.iowava.org/vetcemetery/ or call (515)242-5331.   

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[Loadtoad]

After a recent discussion with the director of this facility, I learned that the FED is paying for the construction, the STATE is paying for care and upkeep, and no one is paying for signage to announce its presence.  The cost of the project proposed to construct a wall to display the name of the cemetary is going to be about $100,000.  There are efforts underway across Iowa to help raise money to pay for this project.  I recomend that you visit the website, review the info presented, and contact everyone you can to get the word out.  Maybe even put together a fundraising drive of your own.

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[DoggyDaddy]

These sites provide a lot of information; current and history. 
I would hope local veterans organizations were part of the planning of the cemetery. 
I would hope this cemetery received lots of publicity on Veterans Day.
I am surprised the money for the sign and other expenses not covered by the Fed were not raised in advance.

The Fed's only pay only for the building of the cemetery in accordance with their Fed Cemetery criteria. The state is responsible for the extras they want to add such as fancy signage, museum, additional shelters, landscaping, etc, are things not included in the federal cemetery plan. 

I would expect the State VFW, and the District which the Cemetery is located, the  VFW Posts, and all the veterans groups within 100 miles of the cemetery are knowledgeable of this State Cemetery. 
If publicity of the need for additional funds is not getting out, those in Iowa need to complain to the newspapers, radios, and the  organizations [VFW, Legion, Legion Riders, Marine Corp League, DAV, TREA, PBOE, Lions, Rotary, Moose, etc] that they are members of and begin some fund raising. 

If local cities and counties who are receiving financial benefit of the cemetery [patronage of hotels, gas station, restaurants, new jobs, etc] are not helping in fund raising and the word is not getting out, then liberal complacency is winning over.

In CA we are in the planning phase of our 2nd State Veteran's Cemetery. We have many committees and politicians participating in its planning.
www.vfwwebcom.org/forum/index.php/topic,256.0.html

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