HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 5

51st legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2014

INTRODUCED BY

Patricia A. Lundstrom

A JOINT MEMORIAL

DEMONSTRATING LEGISLATIVE SUPPORT OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE FOUR CORNERS NATIONAL VETERANS CEMETERY IN GALLUP.

     WHEREAS, Gallup and McKinley county are renowned for their support of and respect for veterans and their importance to the fabric of American society and for the sacrifices veterans make for all Americans; and

     WHEREAS, Gallup was voted "The Most Patriotic Small Town in America" by Rand McNally in its 2013 "Best of Road" contest; and 

     WHEREAS, McKinley county, along with other counties in the Four Corners region, is represented by one of the highest per capita number of veterans in the United States; and

     WHEREAS, veterans are highly valued and deeply respected by the people of the state of New Mexico; and

     WHEREAS, it is the stated desire of the United States department of veterans affairs to provide a burial site for every veteran within a veterans cemetery that is within seventy-five miles of the home of the veteran; and

     WHEREAS, for resident veterans in the Four Corners area, there is no veterans cemetery within two hundred miles; and

     WHEREAS, the placement of a veterans cemetery in Gallup would serve veterans and their families throughout the vast Four Corners region, including nine counties across four states; and

     WHEREAS, land for a veterans cemetery in Gallup has already been identified, and there are alternate sites also available; and

     WHEREAS, the city of Gallup and McKinley county have demonstrated their commitment to the establishment of a veterans cemetery, as evidenced by a decade of effort that has resulted in a feasibility study and significant planning and design work for the Four Corners national veterans cemetery project; and

     WHEREAS, the dedication to this effort leaves no doubt that the required upkeep of the Four Corners national veterans cemetery in Gallup will not only be met, but surpassed by the patriots of Gallup and McKinley county;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the establishment of the Four Corners national veterans cemetery in Gallup be supported by the full legislature; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the city of Gallup, the governor of the state of New Mexico, the secretary of veterans' services, the United States secretary of veterans affairs and the New Mexico legislative council.

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