Suffolk News-Herald

Al Horton Jr. wasn’t there to cut the ribbon on the new cemetery bearing his name.

But rest assured, the retired Navy veteran, who died in 2002 after spending years lobbying to bring a state-operated veterans cemetery to Hampton Roads, was smiling down on Monday’s dedication ceremony.

&uot;I’m sure he is looking down today, pleased that his dream has finally been realized,&uot; said Gov. Mark Warner, one of dozens of political and military officials attending the event at the 73-acre cemetery at 5310 Milner’s Road

Hundreds of veterans from all branches of the military also turned out to celebrate the long-awaited opening of the $6.5 million Albert G. Horton Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery.

Van Barfoot, the last living recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor in Virginia, was among the veterans who attended the event.

The 26-acre first phase of the cemetery is opening with 8,799 in-ground burial plots, 1,260 in-ground plots for interred cremains and 1,920 columbarium niches for interment of ashes.

Horton and his wife, Evelyn, will be the first people interred there later this month, said Daniel R. Kemano, cemetery administrator.

Virginia is home to 780,000 veterans, the highest concentration held by any state, with most of those living in Hampton Roads, said Warner.

&uot;The men and women who serve our nation are heroes,&uot; said Warner. &uot;Virginia has a long history of serving the armed forces …and we will continue to support our veterans.&uot;

Until yesterday, the closest cemetery available for veterans was the state-operated Virginia Veterans Cemetery in Amelia County. The national veteran cemetery in Hampton is full.

In 1997, after learning that the closest burial sites for veterans were in Amelia, Horton organized a small group of veterans to begin aggressively campaigning for a local cemetery.

Officials described Horton as an idealist who worked long and hard to make his convictions a reality.

&uot;When you look up the word persistence in the dictionary, there should be a picture of Al Horton,&uot; Warner said. &uot;Lord knows, he burnt up the e-mail.

&uot;Anytime there was foot-dragging on anyone’s part, there would be emails from Al.&uot;

After the dedication, veterans from across Hampton Roads praised Horton and his legacy.

&uot;I could feel the spirit of Al Horton out here today,&uot; said Jim Miles, a member of American Legion Post 60 in Norfolk. &uot;He was happy.&uot;

Calvin Jackson, also of Post 60, agreed.

&uot;He was one of those people that once he got an idea in his head, he never gave up on it,&uot; he said. &uot;He was fighting for all veterans to have a final resting place close to home.

&uot;It’s a beautiful cemetery,&uot; he continued. &uot;It’s only fitting that he will be the first interred here.&uot;