SUFFOLK, Va. — It's a battle against mathematics and time for the Albert G. Horton Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery.
The 74-acre facility performs 1,500 interments per year and is already home to more than 13,200 deceased veterans and their spouses.
And even though the site has only been open since 2004, believe it or not, they're going run out of space sooner than you think.
"The cemetery is going to fill up within 20 years," said Michael Henshaw, Virginia Department of Veterans Services Director of Cemetery Services.
The cemetery is currently in the midst of a $7.1 million expansion.
The first of ten new columbarium walls opens Monday. In total, the new walls will provide spaces for 2,400 veterans and 2,400 spouses.
But even that is only going to cover the next seven and a half years.
"Veterans and their spouses are going to pass. That's a fact of life. We just want to make sure they have somewhere to go that honors their service and sacrifice to the nation," said Henshaw.
Another 2,400-acre expansion is set to begin next year. It will buy the cemetery another ten years. But eventually, there will be no more room.
For now, though, Henshaw is very pleased about this new wall and what it means now.
"We've had over 50 families waiting until this construction project was completed to be able to put their loved ones in a niche unit. So, we're very excited that this is going to happen on Monday. The families are very excited to finally put their loved ones to rest," he said.