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Dedication Ceremony Scheduled!
Vets
Cemetery Public Service Announcement - via KCOW Radio
August 13, 2010, Governor Dave
Heineman will travel to the panhandle of Nebraska to
dedicate 20 acres of historical land as hallowed ground. It
is anticipated that veterans from throughout Nebraska and
the United States will attend the dedication ceremony. Some
of the veterans returning to this plot of ground to honor
the memory of friends long-gone will remember their training
here as paratroopers and glider pilots for D-day.
On this prairie, in western
Nebraska, over 30,000 men trained for a mission that would
help end Europe's long nightmare of WWII. On this
site, young boys from all over the nation learned how to
jump from perfectly good airplanes and pilot engineless
gliders. Few trainees knew the magnitude of the battle
they would soon enter. Many never returned home to
celebrate the victory made possible through their sacrifice.
The citizens of Nebraska have
never forgotten the brave dedication of those soldiers that
gave to the limit of their obligation for our nation's
freedom and the rest of the world. After years of
planning, fundraising, and the generous award of a grant
provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the
families of Nebraska will now have a permanent shrine to
honor our nation's heroes.
Nebraska Veterans Cemetery at
Alliance is 3 miles east of town and only two hundred yards
from Alliance Airport. Soon after the United States
entered WWII, the U.S. Army build the training base and
airport. Once the war ended, the airport was
transferred to the City of Alliance. Landing
strips, hangers, a water tower, and concrete foundations
still exist from the old Army Airbase. Although the
barracks, hospital, and other facilities have been torn
down, enough of the old airbase stands that residents of
Alliance can describe clear details about the former use of
each lot.
What was a training field for
the base has been under development since October of 2008.
Sandy soil and hardpan has been replaced with fertile soil
and underground irrigation to insure the ornamental grass,
plants, and trees of the cemetery maintain the appearance of
a shrine. The site will have a spacious administration
building staffed with four employees of Nebraska Department
of Veterans' Affairs. Public restrooms and a computer
gravesite locator will help |
