Southern Arizona Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery to Commemorate 20 Years of Service
SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. – The Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services (ADVS) invites the public to attend the Southern Arizona Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery’s (SAVMC) 20th Commemoration Ceremony on Wednesday, October 26th at 11 A.M. The cemetery is located at 1300 S. Buffalo Soldier Trail in Sierra Vista.
October 26th, 2022 will mark 20 years of providing a final resting place to Arizona Veterans, service members, and their families in gratitude and appreciation for their service and sacrifice to our country.
ADVS established the cemetery on approximately 145 acres of land, which was previously part of Fort Huachuca Military Reservation. SAVMC was the first State Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery in Arizona, with others currently in Marana and Bellemont. ADVS dedicated the cemetery in 2002 after a $7.7 million grant from the VA State Cemetery Grant Service.
- As of September 2022, SAVMC has interned over 7,800 Veterans, service members and dependents.
- SAVMC maintains the state’s only Historical Soldiers Memorial Cemetery with 61 soldiers dating back to the 1880s.
- SAVMC received Arizona Centennial Legacy Project recognition for the “Calvary Soldier Relocation Project”.
- SAVMC is supported by the SAVMC Foundation, which has provided over $850,000 toward beautification projects.
ADVS Director Wanda Wright will be the keynote speaker at Wednesday’s ceremony. There will be proclamations presented to SAVMC from Sierra Vista Mayor Mark Mueller and Lorraine Rivera, Governor Ducey’s Southern Arizona Office Director. The Tombstone JROTC Color Guard will also participate in the ceremony.