SENECA COUNTY --
What is now a scenic site in the Finger Lakes will soon be home to New York State's newest veterans cemetery.
Seneca County has cleared the way for completion of the Sampson Veterans Memorial Cemetery. The Cemetery will be built on what was once one of the nation’s largest military training centers.
During World II, more than 400,000 sailors trained at what was than called the Sampson Naval College. After the war, it was converted to an Air Force Base and hundreds of thousands of airmen went through basic training at the site during the Korean War.
Local historian Walt Steesy of the Sampson Veterans Memorial Association, says the cemetery will be built on 100 acres that used to be the base hospital.
"It's sort of isolated from the road and the traffic. It will be a nice place to come and remember those who served our country," he says.
When finished, the cemetery will cost about $3.5 million. Steesy says most of the funding for the construction will come from a combination of federal, state and local funds. Once the cemetery is up and running, Steesy says the majority of its operating costs will be covered by private donations.
Steesy says with 2,000 World War II veterans dying each day, time is of the essence.
"There’s so many veterans we are beginning to lose. Now we need another Veterans Cemetery in western New York," he says.
Construction on the cemetery is expected to be completed in July.
