Carlsbad — Governor Susana Martinez will discuss the recent selection of Carlsbad as a proposed site for a new, local/regional veterans' cemetery. This location would be readily accessible to approximately 32,000 veterans and eligible family members.
“New Mexicans have always stood ready to answer the call to serve our state and nation in the U.S. Armed Forces, and our veterans and their families deserve a special resting place befitting their service and sacrifices,” said Governor Martinez. “In a state as large and rural as New Mexico, it is our responsibility to ensure that these resting places are as close to home as possible, so that our veterans and their families do not have to travel hours upon hours to lay their loved ones to rest or to visit their burial sites.”
Those living in communities like Carlsbad, Artesia, Hobbs, Lovington, Eunice, and Jal would be within 75 miles of this location. Martinez says the goal is to provide resting places that meet the highest federal standards for the large portion of New Mexico’s veteran population that live a great distance from the three federal cemeteries currently available to them at Santa Fe, Ft. Bayard, and Ft. Bliss.
Governor Martinez recently signed into law the 2014 capital outlay bill, which provides the $600,000 she sought to plan, design, and construct regional veteran’s cemeteries statewide. This funding serves as a down payment for the projects, and upon applications for these new cemeteries being approved by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the federal government will provide the additional funding required to design and construct the cemeteries.
Management and maintenance of these cemeteries will be overseen by the New Mexico Department of Veterans Services.
When: 9:30 a.m. Friday May 30, 2014
Where: Carlsbad Municipal Building
101 N Halagueno Street
Carlsbad, NM 88220
Information from Office of the New Mexico Governor