WASHINGTON -- Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi today announced the award of a $2.3-million grant to Delaware to expand the Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Bear. Bear is in New Castle County in densely populated northern Delaware, near Wilmington.
"This award, and an increasing number like it for state veterans' cemeteries, recognize the contribution of America's aging veterans," said Principi. "I appreciate President Bush's leadership in supporting state veterans cemeteries."
The grant will provide more than 6,000 graveliners that will be installed as crypts in a later phase of the cemetery's expansion. The nearest open VA national cemetery is Indiantown Gap National Cemetery in Annville, Pa., about 90 miles away.
The cemetery opened in 1989 with the aid of a VA grant and is one of the country's busiest state veterans cemeteries. In the state's fiscal year ending on June 30, it provided 599 burials. The total number of interments at the cemetery is approaching 7,000, and the cemetery has about 1,200 unassigned gravesites remaining.
As a complement to VA’s system of national cemeteries, the state cemetery grants program has helped establish, expand or improve 49 operational state veterans cemeteries. Six additional cemeteries are under construction. The state veterans cemeteries provided 15,409 burials in fiscal year 2001. Since the program began in 1980, VA has awarded 122 grants for more than $148 million to 29 states, plus Guam.
Information about the grants program is available by contacting VA’s State Cemetery Grants Service at (202) 565-6801. Eligibility for burial in the Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery is open to state veterans on the same basis as eligibility for burial in a VA national
cemetery. Details may be obtained by calling the Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery at (302) 834-8046.
Information on VA burial benefits can be obtained from national cemetery offices, from VA web sites on the Internet at http://www.va.gov or http://www.cem.va.gov or by calling VA regional offices toll-free on 1-800-827-1000.
