OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A long-awaited national cemetery for U.S. military veterans and their families south of Omaha will be dedicated this week before accepting its first burials this fall. The Omaha National Cemetery will be dedicated Friday at an off-site ceremony in Sarpy County, NE. Once complete, the entire 236-acre cemetery will serve the burial needs of more than 112,000 veterans in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa. 

Cemetery director Cindy Van Bibber says the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is expected to complete an initial segment of the property to be used for in-ground casket and cremation burials as early as September.

National cemeteries provide burial spaces for honorably discharged veterans, their spouses and eligible dependents at no charge.