South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs seeks cemetery expansion

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – The South Dakota Veterans Cemetery is more than just a final resting place for those who served our country and their spouses. It’s also a place where families can grieve, honor and remember the sacrifices that they made in a quiet location.

“It’s just impactful and you notice it as soon as you drive through the gates,” said South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs Deputy Secretary Aaron Pollard. “We call the eagles [at the front gate] the guardians. They’re looking in on the road and those guardians’ job is to welcome that veteran to the cemetery and say, ‘I’ve got the watch now and you can rest.’ ”

It’s important to those who work at the cemetery and the South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs to be able to honor the final wishes of a veteran and their family, which means presenting them with multiple options to see what’s best for them.

The cemetery holds more than headstones to Pollard. To him, each space has a story and each space is a brother or sister in arms.

“It’s our goal, it’s our job, it’s our duty, but it’s also our passion to take care of veterans,” Pollard explained. “As a department, we have the ability to essentially take care of veterans in every aspect of their life post-military.”

The department wants to offer every burial option for families to have their loved ones laid to rest.

For now, space won’t be a problem for urn and casket burials, but columbariums, an above-ground placement of about 600 cremated remains, are an option they’ll need more of in a few years.

That’s where Senate Bill 52 comes in. If passed, appropriations will be made to add three more columbarium rows. The Department of Veterans Affairs introduced the bill and it will go through the Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs first. It may take a while to be able to use those funds, but an emergency clause puts them on the fast track to adding room for hundreds of veterans and their spouses to be revered forever.

“That will enable us once the bill passes and we know we have the legislative authority to submit the pre-application for the grant to the federal VA and get that process started sooner rather than later,” Pollard said.

Pollard applauded the Chair of the Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs, Senator Larry Zikmund for always supporting the work of the cemetery from the beginning.

Pollard also doesn’t see any major issues that could stall the bill. SB 52 will need to pass through the Military and Veterans Affairs Committee, both houses of the state legislature and be signed by the Governor. There has not been any opposition, though, so it might feel like a matter of when, not if it gets passed. The sooner the better to get started on construction under a budget for fiscal year 2025.

Copyright 2025 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.