Planning For Pikes Peak National Cemetery Continues

The man behind the effort to bring a national cemetery to the Pikes Peak region is remaining silent on the Dover Air Force Base scandal.

A Washington Post report revealed on Thursday that the remains of 274 servicemen and -women killed in combat have been identified through DNA tests in a Virginia landfill. That’s more ashes than originally believed one month ago when the story broke.

Vic Fernandez said disturbing news reports of mishandling the military dead won’t discourage the opening of the National Veterans Cemetery for the Pikes Peak Region. It’s still on track to open in 2014 despite there not being a final location for the cemetery.

“We determined we really needed a national cemetery to serve the veterans of southern Colorado for more than one reason,” said Fernandez.

Fernandez said one concern is that Logan National Cemetery in Denver is filling up. Also, many veterans choose to retire in the Pikes Peak region, making El Paso County the most populous region in Colorado for vets.

“What we’re doing is losing even our committee members,” said Fernandez, who began the project with the hope of burying World War II vets close to home and not over Monument Hill.

Fernandez believes Veterans Affairs will determine a location for that cemetery in El Paso County by May 2012. While the Kane Ranch off Squirrel Creek Road has been singled out as the preferred spot for the cemetery, an infrastructure problem has stalled plans. Two miles of water pipes need to be laid to connect the site to Fountain water.

“As of yet, we have not found an angel with deep pockets to come up with approximately $2 million it would take to lay that line in,” said Fernandez.

If Kane Ranch is not used, it will be one of the other nine sites considered by Veterans Affairs.