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Donel C. Kinnard Memorial Veterans Cemetery
Dunbar, Kanawha County, West Virginia
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GPS: 38.381526, -81.757531
130 Academy Drive
Dunbar, WV 25064
Published: November 8, 2019
Total records: 1,100
Donel C. Kinnard Memorial Veterans Cemetery is owned by the State of West Virginia, and managed through the West Virginia Department of Veterans Assistance.
Cemetery History
Despite having two national cemeteries in West Virginia, veterans and their families in the Mountain State still saw a need for another veterans cemetery to serve the central and southern counties.
Members of veterans service organizations and concerned citizens organized a successful effort in 2006 to establish a State-run veterans cemetery to better serve West Virginia’s veterans and their families. A U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs grant helped facilitate construction of the cemetery. Work began in October 2010. The opening and dedication ceremony was held on Memorial Day 2012.
The cemetery is named after U.S Navy Hospital Corpsman Senior Chief Donnel C. Kinnard, a highly decorated Vietnam veteran, whose awards include the Navy Cross, seven Purple Hearts, and the Bronze Star.
After he retired from the U.S. Navy at the end of his 22-year career, Kinnard became an outspoken advocate for veterans issues throughout the state. He was appointed chairman of the West Virginia Veterans Council and served as chairman of the West Virginia State Veterans Cemetery Organization and the West Virginia Veterans Nursing Home Committee.
At his request, following his death on February 14, 2009, his ashes were held until the new state veterans cemetery was completed. The state of West Virginia was proud to honor him as the first veteran interred in the cemetery that bears his name.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Records
Records linked below were acquired from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on November 8, 2019. Dates of death range from May 20, 1935 through Mar 15, 2019...
Surname Index:
Downloadable Files
Biography of Donel C. Kinnard, (123 KB)
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