THE DETAILS
American Village
3727 Alabama 119, Montevallo
americanvillage.org
665-3535
Hours: Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m-4 p.m.
Alabama National Cemetery
3133 Alabama 119, Montevallo
665-9039
Hours: Sunrise to Sunset
BAY-946
By Carissa K. Rice
Alabama is at the forefront when it comes to honoring America’s veterans. Birmingham proudly hosts the oldest National Veteran’s Day Parade in the United States, which began at the end of World War II. In addition to this honored tradition, the American Village and the Alabama National Cemetery in Montevallo display Alabama’s year-round dedication to honoring the men and women who served in our armed forces.
Located on secluded, sprawling land and housed in replicas of 18th-century buildings, the American Village transports visitors back to a time when America was in its infancy. Now the neighboring Alabama National Cemetery, as impressive as Arlington or Normandy’s American Cemetery, adds to the area’s patriotic pride and educational import.
In 1990, the Annual Census reported that the annual veterans’ deaths would peak at 620,000 in 2008. Congress noted an urgent need for additional national cemeteries to honor them and in 2003 authorized six new national cemeteries with the National Cemetery Expansion Act. Rep. Spencer Bachus of Birmingham was key to having the cemetery built near American Village in Montevallo, working to secure a federal investment of more than $26 million for the cemetery. Construction began in October 2008, and it will be a burial ground for 200,000 veterans.
“The Alabama National Cemetery will benefit veterans in Alabama with a nearby burial setting that is equally as impressive as any other in the country,” Cemetery Director Quincy Whitehead says. The staff hopes the facility will command an overwhelming sense of awe and respect for those that sacrificed their time, security and lives for the freedom of our country as well as educating visitors about our history.
When the cemetery was dedicated in July 2008, Secretary for Veterans Affairs William F. Tuerk labeled the 495-acre cemetery and the adjoining American Village “hallowed ground.”
Visitor exhibits in United States Veterans Affairs cemeteries are a rarity. In response, the founders of the Alabama National Cemetery will develop a welcome center in the next phase of construction to provide thousands of visitors and students with an educational experience.
At this memorial dubbed the “Arlington of the Southeast,” November is the most vital time to recognize our veterans. A remembrance ceremony honoring World War II veterans of the 1st Marine division will be held at 2 p.m. on Nov. 8. On Nov. 11, local elementary school kids will create red, white and blue wreaths for each gravesite.
