The Upper Peninsula Veterans Cemetery Committee has launched a letter-writing campaign to build support for legislation that would pave the way for the creation of a veterans cemetery in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

ESCANABA — The Upper Peninsula Veterans Cemetery Committee has launched a letter-writing campaign to build support for House Bills 5843 and 5844, legislation that would pave the way for the creation of a veterans cemetery in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Introduced in April by Reps. David Prestin, Gregory Markkanen, Karl Bohnak, Kathy Schmaltz, Douglas Wozniak, Gina Johnsen, Cameron Cavitt, Parker Fairbairn, Ron Robinson, Jason Woolford and William Bruck, the bills would appropriate funds for a cemetery location analysis and feasibility study through the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA) while also creating an Upper Peninsula veterans cemetery fund.

If enacted, the legislation would provide a one-time appropriation of $100,000 for the site location analysis and feasibility study, along with $5 million to establish the Upper Peninsula veterans cemetery fund. The tentative completion date for the proposed project is Sept. 30, 2030.

“This plan puts significant state resources behind honoring the service of Upper Peninsula veterans,” said Markkanen. “There is still work to do, but this legislation creates a clear path forward to get this project moving and ensure U.P. veterans and their families receive the recognition and support they deserve.”

The proposed state veterans cemetery would become the first veterans cemetery in the Upper Peninsula. Burial for eligible veterans and their spouses at the cemetery would be free of charge.

Veterans Cemetery Committee Chair Art Pickering said Michigan lags behind many neighboring states when it comes to the number of state and national veterans cemeteries.

“If you compare Michigan to Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana or Ohio, some of them have anywhere from four to seventeen cemeteries, whether National or State,” Pickering said.

Michigan currently has two federal national cemeteries managed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that accept new interments: Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly and Fort Custer National Cemetery in Augusta.

“For most veterans up here in the U.P., that’s a six- to ten-hour drive one way or for a family member during their time of grief and a financial burden on them, also,” said Pickering.

Prestin echoed those concerns, saying, “Veterans from the U.P. should be able to be laid to rest in the place they proudly call home. For too long, the surviving families of veterans have had to travel long distances to honor their loved ones. This plan would bring that opportunity closer to home, allowing families to maintain a stronger connection with those who sacrificed to defend our freedoms.”

While there is a veterans cemetery at the Michigan Veteran Homes at Grand Rapids, it is reserved for veterans and dependents who pass while residing at the home.

According to Pickering, efforts to establish a veterans cemetery in the Upper Peninsula have been underway for at least 30 years.

Pickering served in the Army for 24 years before retiring to Michigan in 1997.

“When I was up here, I noticed that there was no veterans’ cemetery,” Pickering said. “So, I started doing it on my own, and I couldn’t get any traction. Then somebody said, ‘Hey, somebody else is trying to do the same thing here in Marquette County.'”

As Pickering began organizing a committee in Marquette County, he learned similar efforts were underway in other Upper Peninsula counties. He said lawmakers told the group that progress would not be made until they united behind a single proposal and location for the cemetery.

“It wasn’t until we got told by lawmakers that until we all agree, we’re not going to get one, that we decided to do the U.P.-wide committee,” Pickering said.

Today, 15 representatives from Upper Peninsula counties serve on the Veterans Cemetery Committee. Since its formation, the committee has met with various lawmakers who have championed the proposed legislation.

“The reason we’re asking (people to participate in) the letter campaign is to entice the lawmakers — or the Appropriations Committee — to look at these bills, to consider them and take them to the floor of the House and try to get them passed,” Pickering said.

Sandy Valdezate, Delta County representative on the Upper Peninsula Veterans Cemetery Committee and commander of American Legion Post 71, reiterated that statement.

“The idea was to get all the veterans together to show the support to the representatives that they need to put a cemetery up here based on the population of veterans that reside up here,” Valdezate said.

The committee is encouraging both veterans and area residents to sign letters supporting the legislation. Separate sample letters for veterans and non-veterans are available on the Gladstone American Legion Post 71 Facebook page.

For veterans without computer access, paper copies are available at American Legion Post 71, located at 802 Delta Ave in Gladstone, and will be mailed by the post.

“Our veterans answered the call to serve this country, and we have a responsibility to honor that service,” noted Bohnak. “Establishing a state veterans cemetery in the U.P. is a lasting way to support veterans and their families while showing our gratitude for the sacrifices they made to protect our freedoms.”

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Sophie Vogelmann can be reached at 906-786-2021 or svogelmann@dailypress.net.