The State Veterans Cemetery is located 3 miles west of Fairchild Air Force Base. From the flag assembly area looking southward, Francher Butte and West Medical Lake are present. Looking northward from the Committal Shelter, military aircraft banking northward off the 90 foot flagpole with its 30 foot flag lowered to half-staff often form the backdrop to interment services, and provide a serene setting for the final resting place of our nation's heroes, our veterans and their families. The Public Information Center is located in the administration building. There is a grave site locator kiosk, accessible 7 days a week located just inside the foyer along with cemetery pamphlets that answer many questions. The Washington State Veterans Cemetery was established in a collaborative partnership between the Washington Department of Veterans Affairs and the Federal Veterans Administration. The state provided 120 acres of land for the facility and the VA provided an $8.8 million federal grant to design, construct and completely the operation. The cemetery sits adjacent to Fairchild Air Force Base, overlooking West Medical Lake. The initial ground breaking ceremony was held on May 25, 2009. The site was dedicated on May. 31, 2010 with the first interment taking place on Jun 7, 2010. Included in the initial site development was a committal shelter, over 1,000 pre-placed crypts, 5,700 columbarium niches, an unspecified number of burial plots for in-ground inurnments as well as a scattering garden. Also included in the initial development were an administrative building, with public and private meeting space and a fully enclosed maintenance facility for storage and upkeep of grounds equipment and machinery.