Area veterans get burial option

Standard Democrat

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Area veterans who want to be buried in a veterans cemetery will soon have an option closer to home - the Missouri State Veterans Cemetery at Bloomfield.

"It takes care of veterans that want to be buried in a veterans cemetery," said Ken Swearengin, cemetery director. "It gives you a local veterans cemetery to go to." Right now, the nearest veterans cemetery for area veterans is the 360-acre Jefferson Barracks Cemetery in St. Louis, established in the early 1800s, Swearengin said.

Burials will start sometime in August, while a dedication ceremony for the cemetery is slated for September.

Two caskets presently in-ground at another cemetery are slated to be moved to the Missouri State Veterans Cemetery at Bloomfield immediately upon its opening, Swearengin said, along with another two caskets and 16 cremation urns being held for its opening.

Located adjacent to the Stars and Stripes Library amd Museum, construction of the Missouri State Veterans Cemetery at Bloomfield was funded by a $5 million federal grant through the Veterans Administration.