In the News

North Little Rock burial site for state's vets adds 141 acres

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
10/21/2020

Military burials should continue for another 100 years at the Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery at North Little Rock now that it expanded 141 acres, officials said.

A ceremony was held Tuesday morning at the cemetery at 1501 W. Maryland Ave., celebrating the official transfer of land from Camp Robinson to the Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs.


The cemetery opened in 2001 and more than 9,800 veterans are buried there, officials said. The newly donated land increased the facility's size from 82 acres to 223 acres.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson was scheduled to speak at Tuesday's ceremony, but he canceled his appearance, later announcing he had to limit his activities because he had come into contact last week with someone who tested positive for the coronavirus.

Steve Eggensperger, a retired Air Force colonel and Hutchinson's liaison to the state VA, stepped in for the governor. He read a written statement that Hutchinson had prepared for Tuesday's ceremony.

"This project represents Arkansas' continued commitment to honoring our veterans," Eggensperger read. "Today and every day, we recognize and remember our veterans with gratitude and respect."

Others who spoke Tuesday included retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Mark Berry, who said he met with Hutchinson in 2017 with an "initiative" in mind to have a portion of the long-unused Camp Robinson land donated to Veterans Affairs Department for the purpose of expanding the cemetery. Berry is the former adjutant general of the Arkansas National Guard.

"This land hadn't been used since the Second World War," Berry said, adding that it only made sense that the land be turned into something useful. Due to its proximity to the airport, nothing tall could be built on it. Expanding the cemetery was a logical choice for it, he said.

The state's other veterans cemetery is in Birdeye in northeast Arkansas. Bill Wussick, the state's assistant director for State Veterans Cemeteries, said the latest expansion in North Little Rock means that both sites have enough open land for 100 more years of burials.

The state Guard's current adjutant general, Maj. Gen. Kendall Penn, called the latest transfer of land "a long time coming" and credited the state's Congressional delegation for making sure that Arkansas' veterans have a final resting place that honors their service and sacrifice.

U.S. Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., also spoke at the ceremony, calling the cemetery a "place of peace" where older generations can teach younger generations the importance of service to country.

Arkansas lawmakers in 1997 authorized the establishment of a state veterans cemetery. The North Little Rock site was formally dedicated Nov. 11, 2001, less than seven weeks after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The cemetery in Birdeye opened in 2012.