Albuquerque to be home to a national cemetery

By next year, veterans will be able to be buried right here in Albuquerque at a newly constructed national cemetery.

Albuquerque will be the new home to the third national cemetery in the state — joining the Santa Fe National Cemetery and Fort Bayard National Cemetery in providing a burial place for veterans. 

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced last month that construction for the cemetery will begin in 2025. U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich announced on social media last week that he helped secure funding for the project. 

The Albuquerque National Cemetery will be near the Petroglyph National Monument, specifically the 230 acres of land next to the monument and west of Albuquerque that the VA purchased last year for $2,840,706, according to a press release. 

The VA selected the name for the cemetery by gathering input from local veterans and community leaders while also meeting the requirements for the property to be named where it is located. 

In the press release, the Acting Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Ronald Walters said the cemetery will serve nearly 78,000 veterans with “a final resting place in honor of their service to the nation.” 

Walters said the department will offer access to VA burial benefits for veterans in the Santa Fe and Albuquerque areas as well. 

Similar to the national cemeteries in El Paso, Texas, Phoenix, Arizona, and Bakersfield, California, the Albuquerque National Cemetery will be designed and built with water-wise landscaping — a technique used to minimize water use. 

It will offer casketed and cremation burials.