VIDEO: The North Mississippi Veterans Memorial Cemetery Is Just Weeks Away From Its Grand Opening

KILMICHAEL, Miss. (WCBI)- The small town of Kilmichael is just weeks away from unveiling the town’s biggest attraction, the North Mississippi Veterans Memorial Cemetery.

On Thursday, officials announced that a dedication ceremony will be held for the facility on August 16th.

The cemetery is expected to have a big impact on the area.

It’ll serve as a revenue generator, help bring in more jobs, but most importantly, it’ll serve as a place to honor our fallen soldiers.

“I still get goosebumps everyday I drive through the gates,” said Mark Lawson, the director of the cemetery.

“It almost brings me to my knees to think about the men and women who have sacrificed and who will rest forever here, and be taken care of by people who are in Mississippi who care about them and care about their service,” said Randy Reeves, the Executive Directior of the Mississippi Veterans Affairs Board.

Reeves spent nearly three decades in the military and said the cemetery has a personal and special meaning to him.

“There’s not a more patriotic place than what we have right here in Mississippi,” he said. “Our young men and women will serve in our military based upon how well they see those who go before them are treated.”

The cemetery is just one of only two state cemeteries in Mississippi.

Lawson said he understands the importance of having the facility in the small Montgomery County town.

“This area was chosen because we have 22,000 veterans who are under served with a proper burial site,” Lawson explained. “Now that we have this facility here, we are about 95% for the state that every veteran will have a proper burial site within 75 miles of your home.”

The nearly $7,000,000 project is almost completed.

Once everything is finished it’ll have enough space to bury more than 110,000 soldiers.

The cemetery will be open to veterans from across the country and all branches of the military.

“Veterans and spouses can be buried here and we want to make sure they understand that they’ve earned this right,” said Lawson. “This is not a freebie that we give out, they have earned this right, signing their time and sacrifices that they’ve made during their time of service.”

The dedication ceremony for the cemetery will take place at 10 A.M.

Governor Phil Bryant will be the keynote speaker.