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Burial for veterans no place to skimp

No one knows if the number of dying veterans who wished to be buried in a national cemetery ever will exceed the space available.

But there is enough concern about that happening for veterans groups to ask Congress today to approve more national cemeteries to be opened in the first decades of the 21st century.

It is reported that World War II veterans are dying at the rate of about 1,000 per day. A peak is expected at about 620,000 veteran deaths in 2008.

Even though Veterans Administration figures show that only about 10 percent of veterans are buried in national cemeteries, a House Veterans Affairs subcommittee will be told today that the cemeteries all may be full if new sites are not approved now, because it takes five to seven years for planning and development.

Congress cannot push this problem aside. If burial in a national cemetery is something that veterans have a right to expect, then the government must ensure that space is available.

Providing a burial site for Americans who have served is a function that should find a place in federal spending, well above spending categories that become entrenched in the federal budget but which have little to do with the function of government.

Congress should assess the expected needs for cemetery space to meet the wishes of veterans, and act to make sure that those expectations are met.

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