New Veterans cemetery coming to West TN
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HENDERSON COUNTY, Tenn.– A new veterans cemetery will soon open in West Tennessee. Veterans say the new location is the perfect spot because it is halfway between Nashville and Memphis. It also sits near the site of a Civil War battle. “I’ve been bush hogging out here for going on two weeks, try to get it lookin’ better,” James Lindsey said, a veteran. The 132 acre property along Interstate 40 in Henderson County will soon be home to the Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery at Parkers Crossroads. Gov. Bill Haslam and Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner Many-Bears Grinder made the announcement Thursday. “It’s the first time we’ve done anything like this in a rural area and it couldn’t happen in a better place to serve more worthy people,” Haslam said. Lindsey served in the United States Marine Corps. “We’re stretched out so far across the state and we needed a central location,” he said. This will be the state‘s fifth veterans cemetery. Others are in Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville. “A lot of times, as high as gas is, you couldn’t afford to travel that far to visit a cemetery,” Lindsey said. Depending on funding, the state says this new cemetery could potentially open by the fall of 2016. “It’s just a gratitude,” Ray Parish said, a veteran. “The people paying us back finally. This is our homecoming. This is our recognition. We finally got recognized.” The state confirms federal, state and local funding, along with donations, will pay for the project. “We persevered and persevered and now it’s become a reality,” Jerry Williamson said, a veteran. The state estimates construction will cost about $5.5 million.
