Pembroke picked for new veterans’ cemetery
PEMBROKE – Orleans County veterans and their families have had to drive about 100 miles to go to the closest veterans’ cemetery in Bath.
But that will soon change after the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced today that a new veterans’ cemetery would be established in Pembroke in neighboring Genesee County.
The Western New York Veterans’ Cemetery will be located on a 132-acre parcel at 1232 Indian Falls Rd. It is just north of the Pembroke Thruway exit.
This Veterans’ Cemetery will be the first of its kind in the Buffalo-Rochester area. U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer and several veterans’ groups argued that not having a national veterans’ cemetery within a 75-mile radius of Buffalo and Rochester was unfair to Western New York veterans and their loved ones. The site is located approximately 30 miles from Buffalo and 48 miles from Rochester.
“This site selection is great news for the many thousands of deserving veterans living in Buffalo, Rochester, and beyond,” Schumer said in a statement this afternoon. “With this new cemetery in Pembroke, these veterans and family members will be able to have a proper military burial near their homes in Western New York, and their families will be able to pay their respects without having to travel over 100 miles – something that can be a tremendous burden for many families.”
Congressman Chris Collins, R-Clarence, issued this statement today:
“For too long, Western New York’s veterans have been denied the honor of being laid to rest among their fellow heroes right here in our community. Today’s announcement of a Veterans’ Cemetery in Pembroke finally rights that wrong. This location will allow veterans from all around our region to be properly and locally honored for their service to this country.”