GREENVILLE, S.C. - Many military veterans hope they will one day be buried in a new national cemetery in the Upstate, one close enough for relatives to visit.
World War II veteran Tomie L. Gaines expects to be buried in a family plot here. Gaines, 81, said he would love to be buried in a national cemetery but doesn't want to be buried in Florence or Beaufort, the only national cemeteries for veterans in South Carolina now.
"We do need another cemetery," said Robert Weaver, executive director of the South Carolina Office of Veterans Affairs. "There's no question about it."
A spot between Greenville and Columbia will be picked for South Carolina's third national cemetery, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs, which plans to build six national cemeteries around the country by 2008.
Gaines said four years is too long for some veterans to wait, he said.
"You wouldn't believe how many veterans are dying and don't have a place to be buried," he said. "It's more about just knowing that you have somewhere to be buried."
George Blevins, director of Greenville County Veterans Affairs, said the main reason people are not buried in national cemeteries is because of the distance.
"If it was right here and free then commonsense would say get buried in a national cemetery," he said. Blevins said he would like to see a cemetery behind Richard M. Campbell nursing home in Anderson.
About 1,800 veterans from WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam war die each day, said Kimberly Wright, managing program analyst for Memorial Service Network in Atlanta.
The Florence National Cemetery has casket and cremation space that should last until 2030, Wright said. Casket-only space in Beaufort National Cemetery should last until 2008.
Roy Gullick, historian for the American Legion Post No. 3 and a WWII veteran, said a closer cemetery is a good idea. Although he is eligible, Gullick, 83, said he and his wife will be buried in a family plot in here.
"I don't think I know anyone buried in the cemeteries in Florence or Beaufort," he said.
A brother, also eligible, was buried in the family plot instead of a national cemetery 14 years ago, Gullick said. They would have had to travel a significant distance to visit the gravesite, he said.
About 12 percent of veterans nationwide eligible for burial in national cemeteries elect to do so, said Jo Schuda, spokeswoman for the department.
Information from: The Greenville News
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