Dream Of A Veteran’s Cemetery In Tri-Cities Becoming Reality

Around the turn of the 21st Century the conversation surrounding a cemetery for veterans in Washington State began.  The first (and currently only) State operated veteran's cemetery was dedicated on May 31, 2010.  The location chosen was a few miles away from Fairchild AF Base in Medical Lake, 125 miles away from the Tri-Cities.

There were four veteran only cemeteries in Washington State before then, but they were all operated by the VA (U.S. Dept. of Veteran Affairs).  The first of which was Vancouver National Barracks Cemetery in the late 1800s.  The largest, and most well known of the four, is the Tahoma National Cemetery in unincorporated King County which opened in 1997.

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A couple of years ago, sentiment began growing in Tri-Cities for another place to inter those who served.  As our population of servicemen and women has grown (estimated around 16,000) so has the advocacy for a second cemetery.

Shirley Schmunck, a Gold Star mother and the founder of 'A Time of Remembrance', along with West Richland City Council member May Hays began the push.  It didn't take long for other local veterans and veterans groups to embrace the idea and help support it.

2024 Was A Big Year For Progress

Maybe the biggest step in securing a veteran's cemetery in our area happened in May of last year when the Washington State Department of Veteran Affairs (WDVA) held a townhall meeting at the West Richland Police Department.  Other entities in the area also got involved.  The Tri-Cities Regional Chamber of Commerce identified a veteran's cemetery as one of their top priorities for the 2025 Legislative Session.

Then Paydirt Was Hit In The 2025 Session

Local legislators requested funding to the cemetery.  $500,000 was proposed by Governor Bob Ferguson in his Capital Budget and it was written in to the State Capital Budget (SB 5195).  SB 5195 was passed on April 27th and signed by the Governor on May 20th.

The money awarded was to study the costs associated with all aspects of establishing a veteran's cemetery so that an accurate funding request can be made to the legislature in the future.  There have been plots of land in Richland and West Richland discussed (roughly 100 acres in size) that is suitable for 50 years of interments.  The dream of a veteran's cemetery in Tri-Cities is getting ever closer to reality.