New Veterans Cemetery To Be Named After Pikes Peak

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) - The new veterans cemetery that will be built to serve veterans in the Colorado Springs area will be named Pikes Peak National Cemetery.

The Department of Veterans Affairs announced the name at a meeting there on Wednesday.

The names of national cemeteries usually are based on an area's geography. The VA picked the name after asking for suggestions from local veterans and community leaders.

The cemetery, which will have views of the mountains, will be able to accommodate 95,000 veterans from the Colorado Springs area and their families. Currently the closest veterans cemetery, Fort Logan, is about 70 miles away in Denver and the nearest state veterans cemetery is 180 miles away in Monte Vista.