The families of veterans who live in rural areas of East Tennessee currently have to drive up to 75 miles in some cases to see their loved ones buried in VA cemeteries.
"Our veterans cemetery would be in the Knoxville hub and that serves a 75-mile radius. But several folks want to be buried closer to home than that when they pass," said Campbell County Mayor E.L. Morton.
The county is in the process of creating a cemetery designated for Campbell County veteran burials. The plot would be free to a veteran's family.
The school board has two-and-a-half acres of unneeded land adjacent to the Oak Grove Cemetery in Rocky Top.
Morton, a retired Army veteran of Desert Storm, Desert Shield and Operation Enduring Freedom, says a fellow veteran and county commissioner came up with the idea.
"Our county commission is blessed to have veterans on board as well. Commissioner Cliff Jennings has initiated this effort to try to find burial plots at no cost for veterans," he said.
Morton said adding to an established cemetery is ideal because there is already a plan for maintenance and mowing.
"We haven't found any county administered veterans cemeteries out there. It's a bit of a new venture. And the good news is we have a solution here at Oak Grove at the very least," Morton said.
They are also looking at another section of land in the center of the county for veteran burials.
"It's witness to the fact that we have veterans in the community who are dedicated to future veterans and past veterans," Morton said.