WASHINGTON – The $5.7 million expansion of the R.I. Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Exeter will be paid for by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse said late yesterday.
“More space is needed to provide a final resting place for our veterans and their spouses, and this money will help lay the groundwork to expand the cemetery’s capacity,” said Reed, who has been working since 2004 to help secure funds for the project. “Our veterans have served with great distinction and it is imperative that we honor their sacrifices.”
The VA will pay 100 percent of project costs, the senators said. Planned upgrades include the development of a master plan for future expansion and the construction of a new administration building and a new front entrance.
“The Memorial Cemetery in Exeter is among the most sacred spaces in our state, a place where families, friends, and all of us can gather to remember those who gave so much to our nation in times of war,” said Whitehouse, who had written to the VA earlier this year, asking when the funds would be released. “I’m proud that this federal funding will help make these resting grounds a more beautiful, functional place for veterans today and in the future.”
The 265-acre cemetery – one of the most active veterans’ cemeteries in the country, averaging more than 1,100 burials per year – is a resting place for both Rhode Island veterans who have served their country honorably during times of war and their eligible dependents. Its grounds include a number of memorials to veterans of specific conflicts.
To learn more about the R.I. Veterans Memorial Cemetery and its programs, visit www.dhs.ri.gov.
