(AUSTIN, Texas) — The growing number of South Texas heroes interred at the Rio Grande Valley State Veterans Cemetery will be more than accommodated for years to come with two new columbaria ready for eternal service. 

The two new structures expand the capacity of the Texas State Veterans Cemetery by 700 new niches, more than doubling the existing, non-burial capacity. Interments will begin in the new columbaria within the month, as the existing three structures at the Texas State Veterans Cemetery are near capacity. 

"Texas veterans earned our eternal honor by serving, and this expansion to the Rio Grande Valley State Veterans Cemetery delivers on our promise to them," said Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, who also serves as chairman of the Texas Veterans Land Board. 

Work to complete the expansion, along with landscaping, was paid for with a $464,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. 

Texas veterans are eligible for free interment at the Rio Grande Valley State Veterans Cemetery, which is located on 75 acres southwest of downtown Mission. 

The cemetery was built in 2006 and provides a dignified, perpetual resting place for more than 6,000 Texas veterans and their families. A long-range plan envisions a capacity to serve more than 25,000 veterans and their families. 

To find out more about veterans benefits in Texas, visit www.texasveterans.org or call 1-800-252-VETS.  

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