GRAND ISLAND, NEB. – Hundreds of central Nebraska community members joined local, state, and federal leaders to dedicate the new Nebraska Veterans Cemetery at Grand Island on July 12, 2025.
The event was emceed by Nebraska Department of Veterans’ Affairs (NDVA) Director John Hilgert. Speakers included Governor Jim Pillen, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts, District 35 Senator Dan Quick, National Cemetery Administration (NCA) Veterans Cemetery Grants Program (VCGP) Director James Earp, and Hall County Veterans Service Officer Don Shuda.
The program also featured the presentation of Colors by the United Veterans’ Color Guard, National Anthem performed by the 43rd Army Band, Pledge of Allegiance led by Cemetery Administrator Randy Lonowski, an invocation given by Dan Naranjo, a Chinook flyover by the Nebraska National Guard, and a firing salute, “Taps”, and retiring of colors by the United Veterans’ Color Guard. The Nation of Patriots completed a flag handoff as part of its 2025 Patriot Tour. The event was followed by a car show and lunch, with outreach teams from NDVA, the Veterans Benefits Administration, Veterans Health Administration, and the Lincoln Vet Center on site to speak with veterans and families about benefits, services, and more.
Cemetery construction began in early 2024 after a groundbreaking ceremony was held on November 10, 2023, though the project was initiated much earlier. In 2021, NDVA applied for a grant through the NCA’s VCGP to create a state veterans cemetery that incorporated the original 2.7-acre Veterans Memorial Ceremony—also known as the Soldiers and Sailors Cemetery—that was established in 1888 as part of the Grand Island Veterans’ Home.
Through community fundraising efforts led by Hall County’s Hero Flights Association and a loan from the Hall County Board, the Grand Island community raised $750,000—the VCGP’s required 10% match of the proposed cost of the $7.5 million project. The project was ranked #1 on VCGP’s priority list for establishing new cemeteries and was later awarded grant funding in 2023.
Nebraska is now home to two state cemeteries that are managed by NDVA, located in Alliance and Grand Island. It also has two national cemeteries – the Omaha National Cemetery and the Fort McPherson National Cemetery in Maxwell. Both are operated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. For more information on the Nebraska Department of Veterans’ Affairs and its state veterans cemeteries, visit veterans.nebraska.gov/cemeteries.
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