AUSTIN — Today, Texas Land Commissioner and Veterans Land Board (VLB) Chairwoman Dawn Buckingham, M.D., is excited to announce that Texas State University (TXST), in partnership with the Texas State Veterans Cemeteries (TSVC), has been awarded a $344,015 grant as part of the Veterans Legacy Program (VLP), a project honoring American Veterans and service members by sharing their stories to help preserve their legacy.

"As Land Commissioner and VLB Chairwoman, I am thrilled Texas State University has received this grant from the Veterans Legacy Program," said Commissioner Buckingham. "Telling the stories of those who have served our country is important work. By telling the stories of those interred at our Texas State Veterans Cemeteries, it keeps alive the legacy of sacrifice and service of these brave men and women."

Established in 2016, the VLP memorializes Veterans by helping communities preserve and share the histories of the Veterans interred in National Cemetery Administration (NCA) cemeteries and VA grant-funded state cemeteries. It does this through educational outreach by encouraging students, educators, and citizens to connect with Veterans cemeteries and the Veterans laid to rest within them.

TXST’s project is called “Texas Veterans Legacy for Tomorrow,” and will focus on Veterans interred at all four Texas State Veterans Cemeteries. The project will create publicly accessible educational resources that can be used by high school teachers, university professors, and community members.

The grant awarded is one of nine awarded to educational organizations by the NCA and will provide funding to research American Veterans and to learn about their service and accomplishments.

TXST student Veterans will be trained on best practices for interviewing Veteran families. They will also collect photo, video, and audio artifacts and important objects that help to tell the veterans’ stories. The stories will be uploaded to the Veteran Affairs Veteran Legacy Memorial and showcased at TXST.

Those who wish to participate in an interview about or recommend an interred Veteran to feature can contact Texas State University at (512) 766–4020 or send an email by clicking the button below. These interviews can be conducted via phone, video call, or in person.

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