Progress being made at West Texas State Veterans Cemetery

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - A transformation from West Texas land in East Lubbock to solemn ground for veterans is well underway.

Ground was broken on the West Texas State Veterans Cemetery in November 2023. Since then, crews, including on-site representative Norman Bearden, have continued to work on the project currently 44 acres in size.

Everywhere you look, there’s another feature that honors veterans’ legacies.

When you enter, you’ll see walls to the entrance, a fence that will feature nods to Texas Tech.

An avenue of flags will soon be down the entrance with a large Texas flag nearby and an American flag in the middle of the landscape star.

Next is the only place for traditional caskets inside the cemetery.

“Believe it or not, that’s deep enough for a double-depth crypt,” Bearden said, “so 1,000 spots, if you will, because they’re double-depth.”

As you head farther into the site, you’ll see the committal service shelter, the area where the final graveside service will be held.

“It’ll have the big roof over it, windscreens on either side with a big fan, misters,” Bearden said, “all that to make it a little more tenable for our participants.”

There’s the administration building, expected to be complete in April 2025, and lastly, the memorial wall and what’s known as a scattering garden.

“When a veteran wants the ashes scattered instead of actually buried or put in a columbarium,” Bearden said, “this will be the scattering garden. So, the names of those veterans will be inscribed on the memorial wall there.”

With 776 veterans and families already pre-registered for burial at the cemetery, many are ready to see its opening, including Bearden himself, a veteran in his own right.

“Just to have it finally open and for the citizens to see what can take place from a big empty field, which is what it looked like when I started, to see it come full circle to a complete, beautiful cemetery is just gonna be tremendous,” Bearden said. “I’m really looking forward to it.”

You can find the West Texas State Veterans Cemetery registration packet right here.