CSRA veterans speak with local, state officials in Atlanta
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - On Wednesday, 45 local veterans with more than 700 years of service between them went to Atlanta to speak to local and state representatives.
The trip, led by Commissioner Don Clark and sponsored by the city of Augusta, touched on areas including the push for a veterans’ cemetery in Augusta.
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We spoke to some of the veterans on Wednesday, who said Congressman Rick Allen told them Augusta has the space but not the funding for the cemetery.
“Well, it’s actually the funding because some of it is federal. Right now, they say the sort of more like a tug-of-war kind of effect. We don’t have enough. We have the space, but not enough money. So, we need some. We just need funds. I mean, what about another $14 million or so?” said Army veteran Thomasena Sanderlin.
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The veterans also spoke about why it’s so important to meet the legislators face to face.
Navy veteran Andrew Braithwaite said: “It’s very important to me because all these people on this bus and my brothers and sisters, we share a common goal. I mean a common Interest. In serving our country and continuing on, we have a lot of the same aches and pains, and we want to get our message out.”
Army Corps of Engineers awaits funding for Helene debris removal
While cleanup and pick-up have been underway across most of the CSRA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is still waiting on funding for debris removal around their sites at Clarks Hill Lake.
The two closest veteran cemeteries are in Columbia, S.C. and Milledgeville, Ga.
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