Veteran's Cemetery For Fallen Heroes And Spouses

ORANGE COUNTY, CA—Those who served in the military or governments of the U.S. allied forces in the Korean War, Vietnam War and others will be welcomed into their rest as will their spouses, at the new Anaheim Hills cemetery, OC Supervisors agreed.

In December, the supervisors agreed to convert 2,500 acres donated by the Irvine Company into a cemetery -- with half of the space reserved for veterans -- next to Gypsum Canyon Road near state Route 91 and the 271 Toll Road.

Nick Berardino, president of VALOR, or Veterans Alliance of Orange County, said the board's vote to open the cemetery to allied forces represented "one of the best moments of my life."

"We fought a war to bring about democracy, to share the American way of life," said Berardino, a Vietnam veteran. "With this proposal to have an Orange County cemetery and a place for our allies to share that cemetery with us is a moment that none of us should ever forget. This is truly a historic moment. I don't know of anywhere else in the United States where that exists."

County Supervisor Andrew Do, who was a refugee from the Vietnam war, said, "It's hard for me to convey my thoughts on this item without feeling really emotional." Do also wanted the cemetery to include spouses of veterans.

"I don't want people to be put in a position to have to choose to be with their compatriots or with their spouse," Do said.

During foreign wars, the allies to the U.S. forces were "fighting as brothers ... and a relationship forged under that type of trial and tribulation is not something that you can take lightly," Do said. "This is not only important to the Vietnamese American community or the Korean American community, it should be important to all of us."

City News Service, Patch editor Ashley Ludwig contributed to this report.