LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – An empty field back in November 2023 has significantly changed for the better.
Crews have been working hard on the West Texas State Veterans Cemetery. While it was supposed to open in December 2025, on-site representative Norm Bearden says a little extra time will go a long way.
“We want to open as soon as possible,” Bearden said. “We were very disappointed that we weren’t able to open back in December, the site just wasn’t quite ready yet, so we want everything to be perfect when we do open.”
When we last visited the cemetery last August, significant progress was being made to areas and spaces above ground. Sarah Weede, the cemetery’s director, says even six months can allow for a lot of things to get finished.
“We installed all the irrigation, we have our hydro seeding with some winter rye that’s already making it look a lot better out here,” Weede said. “We’ve got our trees in and some of our plants and we completed most of the administration building and maintenance building.”
That’s not all though, the committal shelter, which will host the final graveside service, and the columbarium for cremated urns is also near completion.
Everywhere you look inside the cemetery, there’s a new detail waiting to be explored, something that was done intentionally to honor the ones that sacrificed for this country.
“This is a final formation, a final resting place for America’s finest,” Weede said. “To have them laid to rest here and being able to take care of them perpetually, it’s something we’re really excited to be able to do and very honored to do.”
As veterans themselves, it’s not lost on Weede and Bearden the significance of this massive project. They hope that when the West Texas State Veterans Cemetery does officially open, it will be well worth the wait.
“This could very well be our final resting place as well,” Bearden said. “Our blood, sweat, toll and tears will be right here in this cemetery. I don’t know what section it will be, it may be expanded, none of us know how long we have, but this will be my final home.”
“Same for me,” Weede said.
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