Hawai‘i to Receive $2.7 Million to Improve Veteran Cemeteries

Veteran’s Cemetery No. 2 in Hilo. Photo by Dave Smith.

The State of Hawai‘i will receive more than $2.7 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration to improve veterans’ cemeteries on Hawai‘i Island, Maui and Lanai, Sen. Mazie Hirono has announced.

Under the grant funding, East Hawai‘i Veterans Cemetery II in Hilo will receive $870,000 for the construction of a new maintenance building, entry gate with fencing, a flag assembly area, landscape and supporting infrastructure.

Statewide, the improvement projects will serve 54,300 veterans and their families.

“Our veterans’ cemeteries honor the commitment we’ve made to our service members and their eligible loved ones at the end of their lives,” said Sen. Hirono, a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. “Hawai‘i’s veterans have long advocated for needed repairs and improvements at cemeteries across the state, and the funding announced today meaningfully recognizes the sacrifice Hawai‘i veterans made for their country.”

“We’re very appreciative of the support for these important cemetery improvement projects from our Congressional and State Leaders and especially from the VA’s National Cemetery Administration,” said Ronald Han, director of the Hawai‘i Office of Veterans’ Services. “These significant enhancements will continue to improve the quality of our cemeteries for those Veterans and their eligible loved ones who served a grateful nation.”