El Paso Congressman Beto O’Rourke Hopes To Bring Back Grass To Fort Bliss Cemetery

Fort Bliss National Cemetery used to have beautiful grass, but in 2008, the grass was removed and the cemetery was xeriscaped. Local veterans and their families have been working ever since to get the grass reinstalled at the Fort Bliss cemetery.

Now Congressman Beto O’Rourke has joined that fight. O’Rourke said veterans deserve to have grass in the cemetery, and families deserve to see grass when they go to visit their loved ones. It cost the Department of Veteran Affairs almost $4 million to remove the grass. The Department said they did it to save water. It will run another $12 million to replace. Trees and shrubs have been installed to make the cemetery greener, but it is still covered in gravel. Visitors are also offered kneeling pads in place of a carpet of soft, green grass.

O’Rourke knows it won’t be easy to get grass reinstalled at Fort Bliss National Cemetery. He has run into roadblocks so far, but says he is going to continue working in Congress to bring up legislation to re-install grass.

I know grass is expensive to keep up in El Paso, but for the men and women who served our country, and in many cases, paid the ultimate sacrifice, a cool, green place to rest in isn’t too much to ask.