Custer County seems to be one small step closer to its dream of a national veterans cemetery being established in the Wet Mountain Valley.

Earlier this week President Barack Obama placed in the 2011 preliminary budget a line item that included the creation of a new national veterans cemetery in Southern Colorado.

For three years, Custer County has been one of nine proposed sites for that cemetery.

Other sites under consideration are in El Paso and Pueblo counties.

Spearheading the local effort to keep the Custer County site in the forefront is Charles Bogle, a retired Army pilot and member of local American Legion Post 170.

Bogle said Tuesday that President Obama’s willingness to include language in the 2011 preliminary budget establishing a new Southern Colorado national veterans cemetery was a milestone. Lead sponsors of that legislation were Third District Congressman John Salazar and U.S. Senator Michael Bennett, both Democrats.

Congress must approve the final 2011 budget before the Veterans Administration can move forward.

“Now,” said Bogle, “the real work begins for us.”

Bogle and a group of volunteers are working to keep the Custer County site on the list.

To that end, a fund has been set up to solicit donations for promotional packages. To date, some $300 has been collected.

Persons wishing to donate to the cause can send dollars earmarked for the veterans cemetery to American Legion Post 170, P.0. Box 424, Westcliffe, Colo. 81252. 

Letters of support are also being solicited from various local and regional government entities.

Custer County’s proposed site is come 930 acres located along Highway 69 some 14 miles south of Westcliffe.

The property is owned by Army veteran Tom Redmond who will donate the land for use as a national veterans cemetery.

If the Custer County site were to be chosen, said Bogle, the positive economic impact to the community would be significant.

– Nora Drenner