Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner Many-Bears Grinder announced the future site of the fifth state veterans cemetery will be in Parkers Crossroads.
The 132-acre Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery at Parkers Crossroads will be located at 693 Wildersville Road and will serve more than 45,000 veterans and their families within 17 counties in west Tennessee.
The Tennessee counties within a 75 mile radius of the proposed cemetery include Benton, Carroll, Chester, Crockett, Decatur, Gibson, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Henry, Lewis, McNairy, Madison, Perry, Wayne, and Weakley counties.
“Right now veterans and their families in this part of the state have to drive more than two hours to the nearest state veterans cemetery,” Gov.
Haslam said. “We want veterans in the more rural parts of the state to have access to these resources that also serve as a symbol of our gratitude for their service to our country.”
Gov. Haslam was also joined by state Rep. Steve McDaniel, state Senator Dolores Gresham, Parkers Crossroads Mayor Kenneth Kizer, Henderson County Mayor Dan Hughes and West Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery Steering Committee Chair Chris Dangler.
“We are grateful to the members of the West Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery Steering Committee, the mayors of the seven counties who invested local funding and support as well as the Governor, Rep. McDaniel and Senator Gresham who have supported this effort from the beginning,” Comm. Grinder said. “We still have several funding hurdles to jump through before this project becomes a reality, but we are excited to announce we are one step closer to opening the fifth state veterans cemetery to better serve veterans in southwest Tennessee.”
“The rich history of Parkers Crossroads is a perfect location for a future State Veterans Cemetery,” Rep. McDaniel said. “We have anxiously waited to hear this news and we welcome the opportunity to offer a reverent backdrop to this future field of honor.”
“Veterans are buried at no charge in these pristine cemeteries that offer a place of reflection and reverence,” Senator Gresham said. “We look forward to adding another jewel to the existing four state veterans cemeteries.”
There are currently two state veterans cemeteries in Knoxville, one in Nashville and one in Memphis. Veterans and eligible dependents can pre-register for burial by visiting the State Veterans Cemetery page http://tn.gov/veteran/burial_elg.shtml.