Tehachapi News

Vets cemetery sees first burials

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The cremated remains of nine military veterans and the wife of one of the nine became the first to be buried at Kern County’s newly opened national veterans cemetery Wednesday afternoon.

At the service attended by an estimated 150 people, the remains of the 10 were simultaneously lowered into plots at Bakersfield National Cemetery, the nation’s 130th national cemetery, located in the oak-dotted foothills between Bakersfield and Tehachapi.

The nine men honored and remembered Wednesday served during various eras of U.S. history spanning more than three decades from World War II, through the Korean and Vietnam wars.

The solemn ceremony included the presentation of flags, a rifle salute and the sorrowful yet inspiring bugle call known as taps.

“I was very moved by the ceremony,” said Chuck Bikakis, a longtime advocate for local veterans.

Bikakis also served on the committee charged with finding the best site for the cemetery.

“It’s a beautiful location,” Bikakis said of the area’s grass-covered hills and dramatic vistas. “I think this site will become a national monument all of Kern County can be proud of.”

The new cemetery is on 500 acres donated by Tejon Ranch. It will serve approximately 200,000 veterans in the region.

“This beautiful new national cemetery will be a lasting tribute to the men and women of Central California who have served our nation,” Acting Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Steve Muro said in a statement. “We’re proud to uphold VA’s commitment to America’s veterans by providing a final resting place for these heroes.”

The burials took place in a 10-acre early burial area. It’s just the beginning of a process of development that will take decades to complete.

The next phase of construction will develop an additional 35 acres, according to Muro. The cemetery staff currently works from a temporary office and maintenance facility.

But all of that will change in a few years when the cemetery will include a new administration and public information center, a maintenance complex, a memorial walkway, two committal service shelters and interment areas.

Wednesday’s service was the culmination of nearly six years of planning and work, said cemetery director Wes Jones. All of it was undertaken with one idea in mind, that those who serve in the defense of our nation deserve the nation’s gratitude — even after they’re gone.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR BURIAL?

Veterans with a discharge issued under conditions other than dishonorable, their spouses and eligible dependent children can be buried in a VA national cemetery.

Other burial benefits available for all eligible veterans, regardless of whether they are buried in a national cemetery or a private cemetery, include a burial flag, a presidential memorial certificate and a government headstone or marker.

More than 3 million Americans, including veterans of every war and conflict — from the Revolutionary War to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — are buried in VA’s national cemeteries on nearly 19,000 acres of land.

Information on VA burial benefits can be obtained from national cemetery offices, from the Internet at www.cem.va.gov or by calling VA regional offices toll-free at 800-827-1000.

For information on Bakersfield National Cemetery, call Wes Jones at 632-1894.