AUSTIN — Today, Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, M.D. and Chairwoman of the Veterans Land Board Dawn Buckingham, M.D. was honored to deliver remarks on Memorial Day at the Central Texas Veterans Cemetery in Killeen, Texas.

“It is an honor to pay tribute on the hallowed ground of the Central Texas Veterans Cemetery to the brave men and woman who sacrificed all for the freedoms we enjoy today,” said Commissioner Buckingham. “May we remember and appreciate these brave individuals not just today — but everyday for the price they paid on behalf of a grateful nation.”

Commissioner Dawn Buckingham delivers remarks honoring the fallen during Memorial Day at the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetary in Killeen on Monday, May 27, 2024.

Additional speakers at the Memorial Day Ceremony in Killeen, Texas included: Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Lt. Gen. Sean C. Berabe, Commanding General III Corps. Fort Cavazos, and Killeen Mayor Debbie Nash-King.

The Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Killeen opened on Jan. 4, 2006. It is the first of four cemeteries built and run by the Texas Veterans Land Board under the Texas General Land Office. The cemetery's current size is 174 acres with up to 50,000 burial plots.

In honor of Memorial Day, headstones of servicemembers Killed or Missing in Action will be illuminated at the four Texas State Veterans Cemeteries in Killeen, Abilene, Mission and Corpus Christi, Texas. The grounds will be open 24hrs a day for night viewing through May 27.