Cramer: State's First National Veterans Cemetery to Be Built in Fargo

Press Release

Congressman Kevin Cramer announced North Dakota's first national veterans cemetery will be established in Fargo.

The National Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National Cemetery Administration has purchased for $90,000 4.82 acres of land on 40th Avenue Northwest - County Road 20 in Cass County. It will serve around 24,388 Veterans, their spouses and eligible family members located within a 75-mile radius of Fargo.

The North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, a state cemetery, is located in Mandan and is open for burials within North Dakota.

Cramer said the VA is developing the new cemetery as part of its Rural Initiative which has a primary goal to build small national cemeteries in underserved states without an open national cemetery. Cramer was an original cosponsor of H.R. 2706, which directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to give priority to a state without a national cemetery and has a large population of veterans.

"This is very good news for our veterans and their families," said Cramer. "A national cemetery in Fargo will be a beautiful complement to the state veterans cemetery in Mandan. Together they will provide a final resting place for veterans in both ends of North Dakota. I am grateful to Secretary McDonald and the VA for their attention to this request. It is an appropriate response to our veterans, and a great tribute to them as we head into this Independence Day weekend."

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert A. McDonald said this new cemetery "will help us reach veterans in rural parts of North Dakota who have not previously had reasonable access to a national or state Veterans cemetery." There are 22 million Veterans nationwide, with 5.3 million who live in rural communities. Between fiscal years 2006-2014, there was a seven percent increase in VA-enrolled rural Veterans. VA will construct in-ground casket burial sites, in-ground cremation burial sites, above-ground columbarium niches, a memorial wall, flagpoles, a memorial walkway, roads and other infrastructure.

Burial in a VA national cemetery is open to all members of the armed forces and veterans who have met minimum active duty service requirements and were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. Members of the reserve components of the armed forces who die while on active duty, while on training duty, or were eligible for retired pay, or were called to active duty and served the full term of service, may also be eligible for burial.

Their spouse, widow or widower, minor children, and, under certain conditions, unmarried adult children with disabilities, may also be eligible for burial. Eligible spouses and children may be buried even if they predecease the Veteran. VA provides the gravesite, grave liner, opening and closing of the grave, government headstone or marker, U.S. burial flag, Presidential Memorial Certificate and perpetual care of the gravesite at no cost to the family. VA operates 134 national cemeteries and 33 soldiers' lots and monument sites in 40 states and Puerto Rico.

More than four million Americans, including Veterans of every war and conflict, are buried in VA's national cemeteries. VA also provides funding to establish, expand, improve, and maintain 100 Veterans cemeteries in 47 states and territories including tribal trust lands, Guam, and Saipan. For Veterans not buried in a VA national cemetery, VA provides headstones, markers or medallions to commemorate their service. In 2015, VA honored more than 353,000 Veterans and their loved ones with memorial benefits in national, state, tribal and private cemeteries.

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