COLUMBUS, OH — State Representative Mark Johnson (R-Chillicothe) has introduced House Concurrent Resolution 27, a measure supporting the establishment of a new Veterans National Cemetery on state-owned land in Chillicothe, Ohio.
Johnson’s resolution encourages the federal government to utilize part of the land surrounding the Chillicothe VA Medical Center, one of the nation’s oldest and highest-rated veterans hospitals, to create a new burial site honoring Ohio’s servicemembers.
“The Chillicothe VA Medical Center is rated among the top five in America for quality care and sits on nearly 400 acres of land that was once part of the massive Camp Sherman Army Training Center,” Johnson said. “Much of that land remains unused. H.C.R. 27 expresses our desire to see several hundred acres utilized to establish a new National Cemetery that would serve veterans across southern Ohio.”
Ohio is home to nearly 700,000 veterans, the sixth-largest veteran population in the country, along with thousands of active-duty, National Guard, and Reserve members.
Johnson recently testified in support of the resolution before the House Veterans and Military Development Committee, emphasizing the need for a more accessible burial option for veterans and their families in the southern part of the state.
House Concurrent Resolution 27 is currently awaiting further consideration in committee.
