Congressman Ralph Abraham, M.D, R-Alto, participated in a Veteran’s Affairs subcommittee event in Rayville Monday.
Dr. Abraham is chairman of the Veterans Affairs subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs. His subcommittee hosted a round table discussion in Rayville to examine the process of building the Northeast Louisiana Veterans Cemetery and the relationship between the federal and state governments in managing existing veterans cemeteries.
“My hope is that we can learn from the success of our cemetery in Rayville and bring that information back to Washington so that we can apply it in future projects across the nation,” Dr. Abraham said.
The round table was attended by Rep. Dan Benishek, R-Mich. and chairman of the VA subcommittee on Health. Other participants include George Eisenhach, director of the Veterans Cemetery Grants Program for the Department of Veterans Affairs; Howard Orr, a landscape architect for the NCA Cemetery Grants Program for the VA; Homer Rogers, undersecretary for the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs; Tim Johnson, director of the Northeast Louisiana Veterans Cemetery; and Scott Franklin, whose family donated the land for the cemetery.