The long-awaited West Texas State Veterans Cemetery marked its first month in operation near Lubbock with ceremonies June 17 honoring an unaccompanied veteran who was laid to rest and recognizing the new facility’s designation on the National Purple Heart Trail.
The new cemetery along East 50th Street near Lubbock has officially joined the Texas Veterans Land Board’s other four Texas State Veterans Cemeteries as part of the National Purple Heart Trail.
According to the Texas General Land Office, the National Purple Heart Trail is a symbolic and honorary system of roads, highways, and monuments in tribute to military members who have received the Purple Heart.
Texas Land Commissioner and VLB Chairwoman Dr. Dawn Buckingham, M.D. said she was honored for the new West Texas cemetery to receive the recognition.
“As the state with the largest Veteran population in the nation, Texas, and the Veterans who call it home, are a significant part of the Purple Heart’s legacy. It is an honor to recognize our many Purple Heart recipients and their families at the West Texas State Veterans Cemetery,” she said. “With support from the Military Order of the Purple Heart Chapter 900, our newest Veterans cemetery joins the VLB’s other four cemeteries as a part of the National Purple Heart Trail. May this tribute to our courageous combat-wounded warriors always serve as a reminder of their selfless sacrifices and that the price of freedom is never free.”
Leaders with the Veterans Cemetery thanked the Military Order of the Purple Heart of the U.S.A., Inc. Chapter 900 for providing a designation sign for the cemetery’s entrance and for presenting a proclamation designating the new cemetery as part of the trail.
Also during Wednesday’s events, the VLB recognized the West Texas State Veterans Cemetery’s first-ever Unaccompanied Veteran Burial for U.S. Army Veteran, Specialist 5 (SP5), Herman Brown, Jr.
“As defenders of our nation and the freedom we cherish, our Veterans deserve nothing less than the highest standard of care when being laid to rest. The VLB’s Unaccompanied Veteran Burials ensure that this honor is bestowed upon every Veteran who is interred at our Texas State Veterans Cemeteries,” Buckingham said. “I thank the Lubbock community for their outpouring of support and our incredible staff at the West Texas State Veterans Cemetery for their commitment to maintaining these hallowed grounds. Here in Texas and at the VLB, we will always stand ready to ensure no Veteran is ever left behind or forgotten.”
Brown served in the U.S. Army for three years, from December 1963 to June 1966, starting at age 19, during the Vietnam War era. During this time, he received the National Defense Service Medal, Pistol Marksmanship Badge, and the Rifle Expert Marksmanship Badge for his service to our nation. There was an outpouring of support from the Lubbock community and beyond for Brown’s service.
John Kelley, Director of Texas State Veterans Cemeteries at the VLB, accepted the United States flag on behalf of Brown. The West Texas Regional Honor Guard performed military honors during the moving ceremony.
Created in 2015, the Unaccompanied Veteran Program alerts the communities surrounding our Texas State Veterans Cemeteries in Killeen, Corpus Christi, Abilene, Mission, and Lubbock that a Veteran will be interred with no known next of kin, or with next of kin who are unable to attend their burial service.
Veterans were brought into the cemetery and provided “direct no witness” burials. This meant their remains were brought to the cemetery and directly buried or interred with no honors or recognition of their military service.
Now, eligible Veterans are interred with honor and dignity, regardless of where they may have found themselves in life, through VLB’s Unaccompanied Veteran Burials. Texas State Veterans Cemeteries follow a standard protocol to schedule burial services for Unaccompanied Veterans.
This includes cultivating relationships with community stakeholders, such as funeral homes, county services, local judges, the Warriors Remembrance Foundation, the Pinkerton Surname Project, and the Patriot Guard Riders, to ensure that all eligible Veterans receive honorable and dignified burial services at each cemetery.
While notice times vary, VLB issues an advisory to the community upon notice of an Unaccompanied Veteran Burial, according to a news release.
“VLB has seen overwhelming support from local communities and across the State of Texas, with hundreds of people attending ceremonies to lay Veterans to rest with respect and dignity,” reads the release.
About the West Texas State Veterans Cemetery
Construction on the cemetery in east Lubbock County began in late 2023, according to Avalanche-Journal archives.
Sarah Weede, a Lubbock native and U.S. Air Force veteran, has serve as the first Director of the West Texas State Veterans Cemetery since May 2025.
The facility, located at 4614 E. 50th St., is now the fifth Texas state veterans cemetery built and run by the Texas Veterans Land Board — the first in more than a decade. Previously, the closest Texas veterans cemetery was in Abilene, about 160 miles from Lubbock. More information about the State Veterans Cemeteries is available through the state’s website at https://www.glo.texas.gov/veterans/texas-state-veterans-cemeteries.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: West Texas State Veterans Cemetery hosts first unaccompanied burial
Reporting by Adam D. Young, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal / Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Adam D. Young, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal | USA TODAY Network
