Officials, veterans talk up possible cemetery in Cameron County

HARLINGEN — The final resting place of military veterans is being debated in Cameron County, with officials gauging public support for a veterans’ cemetery here.

The closest veterans’ cemetery, administered by the Veterans Land Board which is under the Texas General Land Office, is in Mission.

And that’s the problem.

By law, veterans’ cemeteries must be at least 75 miles apart, and the Rio Grande Valley State Veterans cemetery’s location means federal law or state law, or both, would have to be re-written or modified to put another cemetery in Cameron County.

“We looked at what could be done and if it’s even possible,” said Samuel Perez Jr., director of veterans services for Cameron County. “And without getting political, because this is for the veterans.”

“I have a father-in-law who was born and raised in Brownsville, lives in La Feria, and he will not be buried in Mission cemetery because he doesn’t believe he will be visited by his loved ones in Hidalgo, in Mission,” Perez added.

The issue of a veterans’ cemetery at a roundtable discussion held Monday evening at the Harlingen Community Center has struck a chord here among families with members who have served in the military, although it is possible it has in part come to the forefront because we are in the middle of a hot election year.

Speaking at the event were U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, state Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., state Rep. Erin Gamez, Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño Jr. and Cameron County Precinct 4 Commissioner Gus Ruiz.

Also in attendance was Aaron Pena, the former state rep who now works for the Texas GLO.

“There are many other areas of the state who are competing for this very thing,” Pena said. “And there are federal dollars that are involved and so there are issues that involve federal regulations that we have to look at.”

“One of those regulations may be the distance from another cemetery, so we’ll need to look at that,” he added. “But I have no doubt the effort and commitment is here.”

Lucio said there has been push throughout the state for more veterans’ cemeteries, and the competition for funding is becoming fierce. Despite his upcoming retirement, Lucio said he would do all he could to make a Cameron County cemetery a reality.

“I don’t believe that our loved ones should have to drive over a hundred miles to our loved ones’ graves when they pass away,” Lucio said.

Gonzalez, the incumbent U.S. congressman who switched to running in the 34^th District due to redistricting changes, would represent Cameron County if he is elected in November.

“There’s really no shortage of land around us, right, between Brownsville and Harlingen, there are thousands of acres north of us,” Gonzalez said. “So we’ve got the property, we’ve got the places, and we need to reach out to some of the land barons and say, please, give the same generosity to the veterans that our veterans have given for us and our country.”

The Rio Grande Valley State Veterans Cemetery in Mission opened in 2006 and has been expanded to 75 acres with 25,000 plots available.

The Mission cemetery is one of four such state veterans’ cemeteries in Texas, with others located in Corpus Christi, Killeen and Abilene. All were built through a partnership between the state and the U.S. Department for Veterans Affairs.

Any member of the U.S. armed forces who dies while on active duty or any veteran who was discharged under conditions other than dishonorable may be eligible for burial in a national cemetery.

Veterans whose only active duty service was for training while in the National Guard or Reserves are not eligible unless there are special circumstances (death while on duty or as a result of training).

“This is about showing respect and dignity to the people who have earned that dignity and respect,” the GLO’s Pena said.