A long-sought veterans cemetery in North Alabama is moving forward after federal approval of a $13.5 million grant to support construction of a new Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs (ADVA) facility in Madison County.
The authorization, secured through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration, addresses a long-standing gap in burial access for veterans in the region, where tens of thousands currently live outside the service radius of an existing state or national veterans cemetery.
North Alabama is home to more than 42,700 veterans who reside beyond 75 miles of an existing VA cemetery. State officials estimate the new facility will accommodate more than 10,000 interments over the next decade and serve the region for approximately 200 years…