Editorial: Veterans deserve an O.C. resting place

Orange County veterans deserve a final resting place closer to home. This is why we support a bill winding its way through the state Assembly that would establish a veterans cemetery at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine.

The Irvine City Council, which often fails to reach unanimity on controversial issues, recently voted 5 to 0 in support of the idea. The officials, who are firmly divided over all things Great Park, put aside their differences to move a worthy proposal up and over an early hurdle.

A cynic could argue that this is a politically neutral, if not safe, idea — just try to find a seated politician willing to go against the will of veterans. But putting cynicism aside, it’s just the right thing to do. Those who have served their country should be buried as close to their loved ones as possible, and the nearest veterans cemeteries are in Westwood, which is full, and Riverside, which is not proximate to much of Orange County.

And there is a need. About 14,000 veterans die annually in Orange and Los Angeles counties, according to a statistic provided to the Los Angeles Times by the California Department of Veterans Affairs. Riverside handles about 8,000 burials annually.

The Great Park’s military history as the former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro is a befitting and meaningful location. Of course money is always right alongside patriotism during such conversations, and the Legislature is still working up cost estimates for the 125-acre site on the Great Park’s northern reach. It is our hope that this project, if approved, is built with great financial care and prudence.