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Six-week backlog for burials at Southern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery

The Journal Times - 9/19/2020

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Southern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery

Family members and friends of fallen veterans visit the Southern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Dover on May 27, 2018. The cemetery is backlogged with requests for burials, and is now scheduling services into the first week of November.

Megan Burke

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The backlog is due to several factors, including a steep increase in demand for services as well as a 40 to 50% reduction in staff at the cemetery. Gary Dierks, bureau director of veterans cemeteries and memorial services for the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, attributed the reduction to normal vacancies as employees left for other jobs as well as some staff being out on medical leave or military deployment.

Although the existing staff at the cemetery is keeping up with the cemetery's average of 93 to 98 burials per month, Dierks said they cannot increase that number until more employees come on board. The cemetery is working to bring on new staff within the next few weeks, in addition to some temporary workers.

"We don't want to sacrifice service," Dierks said. "Just because we're getting a lot of requests, it doesn't mean that the families should get a lesser level of service."

He said that even on a busy day, each family should leave the cemetery feeling like theirs was the only service that day.

"They shouldn't feel rushed," he said. "They shouldn't feel like they're just a number."

At present, the cemetery, located at 21731 Spring St. (Highway C), is averaging four to five services per day, depending on the type of burial each veteran's family requests.

Dierks said that his department doesn't know for sure what has caused the uptick in burials. One likely factor is that families delayed services in March through June, due to concerns about traveling and gathering during the pandemic.

"We know some people are now scheduling those services," Dierks said.

The WDVA had also previously been doing outreach to let veterans know that they are provided burial space at no charge as a benefit of their service, which could have contributed to more veterans choosing to be buried at the cemetery.

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Population impact

While the other veterans' cemeteries in the state are also seeing increased burials, they are located in less populous areas than Southern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery, so those are not experiencing the same issues.

The Northern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery is in Spooner in Washburn County and the Central Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery is in King in Waupaca County.

The Southern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery opened in 1996 and has since expanded several times. Veterans who were honorably discharged from military service and live in Wisconsin or lived in Wisconsin at some point are eligible for burial there. The spouses of interned veterans can also be buried next to their loved one. Dierks said that veterans buried at Southern Wisconsin typically come from a 30-mile radius of the cemetery.

The Southern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery is the fifth-busiest state veterans cemetery in the country, according to the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs.

Dierks said that while some families are not exactly pleased with the situation, most have been understanding after learning the reason for the backlog.

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"We don't want to sacrifice service. Just because we're getting a lot of requests, it doesn't mean that the families should get a lesser level of service. They shouldn't feel rushed. They shouldn't feel like they're just a number."

Gary Dierks, bureau director of veterans cemeteries and memorial services for the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs

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Southern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery:

dva.wi.gov/Pages/memorialsBurials/SWVMC.aspx

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Caitlin Sievers

Caitlin Sievers

Reporter

Caitlin Sievers covers education in Racine County with a primary focus on Racine Unified School District. Before moving to the Racine area she worked at small papers in Indiana, Illinois and Nebraska.

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