A ceremonial groundbreaking took place on November 24, 2023, for the new Veterans Memorial Center at the Fargo National Cemetery in Harwood, North Dakota. This facility will enhance support for families of veterans and individuals honoring their service. Construction is set to begin in the spring of 2024 at the cemetery located at 8709 40th Ave. N.
Senator John Hoeven, alongside members of the Fargo Memorial Honor Guard and various local and state leaders, participated in the event, braving cold winds to mark the occasion. Among the attendees was Sam Brown, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs and a veteran who suffered severe injuries while serving in Afghanistan. Brown emphasized the importance of the new center, stating, “It’ll be a place where we don’t have to stand in the cold and the wind to comfort those families, the families who’ve lost their loved ones.”
Hoeven acknowledged the collective efforts that made the Veterans Memorial Center possible, crediting Brown as a driving force in the project’s realization. “He jumped on this with two feet. He has been an absolute tiger,” Hoeven remarked.
The 6,700-square-foot facility, designed by Icon Architects, will include an indoor committal shelter, a gathering area for families and friends, restrooms, a gallery to celebrate veterans’ lives, office space for VA staff, a breakroom for Honor Guard members, and a garage for hearses. This development follows the cemetery’s original five-acre footprint, which lacked amenities for visiting families.
Funding for the project comes from various sources, including nearly $2 million raised by the Fargo Memorial Honor Guard, federal contributions, and a $3 million allocation from the state of North Dakota. Major General Alan Dohrmann, North Dakota’s Adjutant General, expressed the state’s commitment to supporting veterans and their families, stating, “It’s something the state didn’t have to do, but something the state is just hard-wired to do.”
In addition to the center, Hoeven announced that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has completed a master plan to expand the Fargo National Cemetery from five acres to 35 acres. This expansion will include federal funding for infrastructure improvements, enhanced access, and parking facilities. Currently, there are 1,337 veterans interred at the cemetery, with Phase 1 of the expansion anticipated to increase burial spaces to more than 8,500 by 2028.
Once fully completed through nine phases, the cemetery is expected to accommodate over 45,000 burial spaces, ensuring continued service to veterans and their families well into the future. Brown expressed gratitude for the expansion, which is projected to meet the needs of veterans without requiring additional updates through at least 2050.
