This is the week of America's birthday, and what better week to dedicate the nation's newest National Veterans Cemetery.
In a solemn ceremony, brimming with military pomp and circumstance, several hundred people gathered Wednesday to open the Bakersfield National Cemetery at the foot the Tehachapi mountains, now home to nine veterans and a soldier's wife.
For years, Navy Veteran Allen Champion was a fixture of the Bakersfield Veterans Day Parade. Marching proudly in uniform every year, carrying old glory in a salute to his country and those who served.
Champion died last year. Wednesday, his cremated remains and those of eight other veterans, and a soldier's wife, were the first to be interred at the Bakersfield National Cemetery.
"This is where he wanted to be and I figured it was fitting that he be in the first group to go," said his son Dennis Champion.
Under a blistering sun, a Marine Color Guard escorted the cremated remains to the first burial plots.
The bronze urns lowered in unison by a host of dignitaries, including Congressmen Jim Costa and Kevin MccCarthy, who played a critical role in making the cemetery a reality.
"One thing that makes me proud is that we can never do enough for our veterans and we have never forgotten. And it took a little time," said Bakersfield Congressman Kevin McCarthy.
Wednesday's ceremony is the culmination of eight years of work, from Kern County to Washington D.C., to bring the nation's 130th National Cemetery to the southern valley.
"Everyday, I get someone who will call me and say I'm so happy you're opening because I either have my loved one that's been cremated and I've held them for ten or 15 years or six months and now we're coming out here. Heartfelt stories like that as I think veterans want to be at a national cemetery," said Bakersfield National Cemetery Director Wesley Jones.
Backing up Jones, a dozen employees who will be stewards of these hallowed grounds, most of them military veterans themselves.
"It's a very rewarding job to know that we're the final step. We're the ones who are going to take care of them for years to come," said cemetery technician Joseph Prica.
"It's a great honor to be out here, for all of us really. It's a privilege. We consider it a privilege," said maintenance worker Bill Barrett.
500 acres of golden hills and grand oaks, the eventual home of some 200,000 veterans who will, over time, come to their final rest in this sacred ground.
But it wouldn't have been possible without the generosity of Tejon Ranch Company, which donated the land.
When ask As a veteran yourself, how does it feel to be honoring these veterans this way? Senior V.P. Of Tejon Ranch Company Joe Drew responded "I feel great. Just great. It's been a five-star day."
And for family members like Dennis champion, this ceremony represents closure.
"It's a climax to a kind of painful period. But I'm glad it's here because I know that's what he wanted and I'm sure he'll be smiling down on us," concluded Champion.
It's been nearly 150 years since President Abraham Lincoln declared that America owed a final resting place to everyone who defended her.
But Mr. Lincoln also offered this humble reminder when he wrote "In a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow, this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have consecrated it, far beyond our poor power to add or detract."
Thursday at 10 a.m., the body of Army Reserve Major Jason E. George will be laid to rest, marking the first casket burial at the Bakersfield National Cemetery. The public is invited to attend.
