FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. — Editor's note: The above video is from Dec. 17, 2023.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Indiantown Gap National Cemetery will soon have room to lay more veterans to rest.
The organization today announced that groundbreaking will happen this month to start construction on more gravesites for casketed and cremated remains. Officials say the project will develop an additional 27 acres of land to house over 15,000 more gravesites for veterans.
“The expansion of this national shrine will ensure that the Veterans of South-Central Pennsylvania and their families, will be able to make this beautiful location their final resting place," John Spruyt, cemetery director, said in a press release. "We will continue supporting them with compassion and unsurpassed customer service.”
Those involved with the construction project estimate that the additional burial space will last into the year 2038.
The expansion will take three years to complete and cost $38.6 million. There will be 5,330 preplaced crypts, 598 traditional casket sites, 4,020 in-ground cremation sites, a 6,000-niche columbarium and a new honor guard building.
The 677-acre Indiantown Gap National Cemetery was established as a National Cemetery in 1976, with the first burial taking place in 1982. Currently, the cemetery has 221 developed acres and is final resting place to over 65,000 veterans and family members.