BUHL, Idaho — The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs dedicated a new national cemetery in Buhl, Idaho, during a brief ceremony Wednesday morning. It is the first national cemetery in the state.
"This beautiful new cemetery, located so close to the scenic grandeur of the Snake River Canyon, is a fitting tribute that honors the memory of our veterans here in southeast Idaho," said VA Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Randy Reeves. "May it serve as a place of peaceful reflection for our veterans and their families for all time."
Reeves unveiled the dedication plaque as part of a small delegation of dignitaries that included Army Maj. Gen. Michael Garshak, the Adjutant General of the Idaho National Guard, and Suzanne Hawkins, mayor of Twin Falls. Due to concerns over the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the number of attendees was limited to fewer than two dozen, with participants wearing masks and maintaining social distancing.
The 8-acre cemetery is expected to serve a population of more than 15,000 veterans, their spouses and eligible family members within a 75-mile radius of Twin Falls. The first interments at the new cemetery were conducted in March.
Construction on the first phase of the cemetery is now complete, offering more than 900 casket and cremation spaces to accommodate burials for the next 10 years. The cemetery can provide casket burials, in-ground cremation burials, columbarium niches for cremation burials, and a memorial wall. Future construction will increase this capacity.
Snake River Canyon National Cemetery is the third to open under the VA's Rural Initiative program, which provides burial access for veterans not currently served by a national cemetery within the state or VA grant-funded state cemetery. The others are in Montana and North Dakota.
The VA will dedicate additional rural cemeteries later this year in Wisconsin, Maine, and Wyoming, with cemeteries in Nevada and Utah soon thereafter.
Burial in a national cemetery is open to all members of the armed forces who have met a minimum active duty service requirement and were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. A veteran's spouse, widow or widower, minor dependent children, and under certain conditions, unmarried adult children with disabilities may also be eligible for burial.
For information on VA burial benefits, or to apply for burial benefits in advance of need, visit www.cem.va.gov or call (800) 535-1117.