National Cemetery Administration
South Carolina Receives Grant for Expansion & Improvement for M.J. "Dolly" Cooper Veterans Cemetery
August 15, 2019
WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National Cemetery Administration (NCA) announced today that it has awarded South Carolina a grant in the amount of $635,250 for the expansion and improvement of the M.J. "Dolly" Cooper Veterans Cemetery in Anderson, South Carolina.
"NCA's partnership with the States through the Veteran Cemetery Grants Program has ensured that Veterans across the nation have the option of burial in a Federal, State, Territorial or Tribal Veterans cemetery that is fairly close to home" said Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Randy Reeves. "Today more than 92% of all Veterans have a burial option within 75 miles of their home, and we continue to increase availability with every new grant we provide."
This grant will fund 800 additional columbarium niches, related site improvements and the addition of a Gettysburg Memorial Plaque. The project will develop approximately 1 acre. The project will enable the cemetery to provide continued service for approximately 101,000 Veterans, their spouses and eligible family members.
The closest national cemetery is Fort Jackson National Cemetery, Columbia, South Carolina, which is approximately 123 miles away.
The VA Veterans Cemetery Grants Program (VCGP) complements the 136 VA national cemeteries. Since its inception 41 years ago, the VCGP has awarded grants totaling more than $817 million to establish, expand, improve, or operate and maintain 115 state, territorial, and tribal Veterans cemeteries. These VA-funded cemeteries provided more than 39,000 burials in 2018.
For more information about the M.J. "Dolly" Cooper Veterans Cemetery, contact Jeff Fultz, Cemetery Superintendent at 864-332-8022 or visit http://va.sc.gov/cemetery.html.
