Cohen: West Tennessee Veterans Cemetery to Receive $2.7 Million for Upgrades

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced that the West Tennessee Veterans Cemetery in Memphis will receive $2,796,868 from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for 100 percent of allowable costs associated with the operation and maintenance of the cemetery.

“These new federal funds will help the West Tennessee Veterans Cemetery in Memphis make important upgrades,” said Congressman Cohen. “Our veterans, especially those who have passed, deserve the utmost respect and best treatment possible. These improvements will ensure that our nation’s history is well preserved.”

The federal grant will fund the raising, lowering, resetting, realigning and cleaning of 14,790 upright headstones; ground surface renovation; leveling and re-establishment of turf with sod on 24 acres of cemetery land; installation of a water reel irrigation system; and construction of a Headstone Grid Support System for 4,103 upright headstones.

This grant will help Tennessee provide enhanced services for 126,948 veterans and their families in Tennessee and help the cemetery meet National Cemetery Administration Shrine Standards for Appearance. The closest national cemetery is Memphis National Cemetery, which is about 20 miles away. The closest State Veterans cemetery is Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery at Birdeye in Cherry Valley, Arkansas, which is about 49 miles away.