A national cemetery is scheduled to open in southern Utah in the following year

Cedar City, Utah – The opening of a national cemetery in southern Utah is anticipated to take place around one year from now. This cemetery will operate as a final resting place for approximately 15,000 veterans and their families.

The Southern Utah National Cemetery will be the name of the cemetery that is now under construction in Cedar City, according to an announcement made by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday.

According to a press release, the institution will provide services to 14,906 veterans and members of their families who reside in the cities of Cedar City and St. George.

“We are pleased to expand burial access for veterans in the Southern Utah region and provide them with a final resting place in honor of their service to our nation,” said Acting Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Ronald Walters, in a statement.

The cemetery is scheduled to open in the fall of 2025, and it will provide a variety of burial alternatives, including the placement of cremations in the ground or in a columbarium niche that is located above ground.

A program known as the Rural Initiative was responsible for the establishment of the Southern Utah National Cemetery. The program’s primary objective is to provide veterans who are not currently served by a national cemetery in their state or in a nearby state with the opportunity to be laid to rest.

The Yellowstone National Cemetery in Montana, the Snake River Canyon National Cemetery in Idaho, and the Cheyenne National Cemetery in Wyoming are some of the other national cemeteries that were established as a result of this program.