Southwest Louisiana Veterans cemetery in Jennings to open soon

JENNINGS, La. (KPLC) – What will be one of only five veterans cemeteries in Louisiana is opening soon.

“A place to be buried along with your brothers and sisters in service, in arms,” Dwayne Guidry, the director of the Southwest Louisiana Cemetery, said.

Guidry said it’s going to be the only such cemetery in Southwest Louisiana.

“The closest cemetery to here is in Leesville. Then, to the east, it’s Slidell. So, we’re going to be interring people here from Breaux Bridge to Beaumont, Texas,” Guidry said.

The 25-acre property behind the Southwest Louisiana Veterans Home was originally slated to open Nov. 2019, but, due to bad weather, the project was delayed.

“We have 1,212 in ground crypts and each crypt can house two caskets and we also have 380 columbarium niches and there can be two urns per niche. So a husband — a veteran, whether male or female, and their spouse can be buried,” Guidry said.

Guidry is a veteran himself and he said he takes his job very seriously.

“3 1/2 years in the National Guard from ’86 to ’89. I went active duty in ’89. I served in Desert Storm and I served two other tours in Iraq along with time in Korea and Germany,” Guidry said. “I like the camaraderie. This is one final act of camaraderie that I’ll be able to help. Spending my time in the service, when my time comes, hopefully we’ll have a spot right here for me.”

Guidry is hopeful the cemetery will be completed in March.

When the project is all said and done, Guidry said the cemetery will be the final resting place for 50,000 and their loved ones.