San Antonio – More than 40,000 new burial and cremated spaces will soon be available to extend the life of Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery for decades to come.
Jerry Lefler, the cemetery’s newest director, said the new burial and cremation spaces would be available by this fall.
The additions are part of a five-year $80 million expansion plan to develop 23 acres for burials.
“The reason we’re doing this is to extend the life of the cemetery ... With those added burial and cremated remains sites, we can extend the life of the cemetery out until the mid-2040s,” Lefler said.
About 180,000 veterans and family members are buried or memorialized at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.
Lefler oversees 55 workers at the cemetery who care for and maintain the honor of the heroes buried there.
“One of our goals in the National Cemetery Administration is that no veteran ever dies,” he said.
Between 5,000 and 8,000 people will visit the cemetery on Memorial Day this Monday, with a few thousand more the days before the holiday.