Department of Veterans Affairs unveils new national cemetery in Queens

ST. ALBANS, Queens (PIX11) — The Department of Veterans Affairs has unveiled a new national cemetery in Queens, the St. Albans National Cemetery and Columbarium.

Department of Veterans Affairs Deputy Secretary Tanya Bradsher says, "We are opening our first cemetery in two years. We are very excited to open the St. Albans cemetery. It will house 3,700 of cremated remains here and we're super excited to have a facility within Queens."

More Local News

This is the first Veterans Affairs cemetery under the department's urban initiative program and the 156th national cemetery nationwide.

Bradsher says, "It's very important because we want to make sure we have cemeteries where veteran families are located and urns are located so they're able to see their loved ones so this initiative is really important because it's over an hour drive to our closest cemetery so we wanted to make sure we had something close to NYC."

Terrance Holliday is a retired colonel with the United States Air Force and the former commissioner for the mayor's Office of Veterans Affairs.

Queens nonprofit helps veterans returning from combat: 'They get closure'

He says honoring veterans after death is of utmost importance.

He says, "When you think about that generation that's slipping away from WW2 and getting into Korea. As a veteran, this is where it ends for you and the families, and this is a place families can come and visit."

"People should recognize veterans for what they do and what they've done. There's people who have sacrificed a lot more than I have. And so when the call came for them to go somewhere, they were there. If veterans didn't do it – it would be a really different world we're living in."

The cemetery will open in February 2025.