Gov. Susana MartinezSTATE News:
GALLUP — Gov. Susana Martinez dedicated the new Gallup State Veterans Cemetery Wednesday, which could serve as many as 20,000 veterans and their families.
The cemetery is the second of four proposed by Martinez in 2013 for veterans who live in rural areas throughout the state.
“Our veterans and their families should be laid to rest in a place that reflects their dedication and sacrifice to our country,” Martinez said. “New Mexico is a large and rural state, and this veterans cemetery will be an important step in ensuring that more of our veterans have a final resting place closer to home.”
The Gallup cemetery is expected to open in 2019, and will serve veterans of McKinley and Cibola Counties, as well as communities in the Four Corners area, the Navajo Nation, and Western New Mexico Pueblos.
The state’s first veterans cemetery launched through the Governor’s proposal was the Fort Stanton Veterans Cemetery, which will open later this year. In 2014, Martinez secured $600,000 in capital outlay funding to build similar cemeteries in Angel Fire, Carlsbad, and Fort Stanton. The Administration is committed to continuing to work with local, federal, and community partners to bring more veterans cemeteries to New Mexico.