Sept. 2014 Story: Soil sampling to be done at Fort Bliss Cemetery

The sunken graves at Fort Bliss’ National Cemetery in El Paso has gotten the attention of a state representative and UTEP researchers.

On Thursday, El Paso State Representative Joe Moody and researchers from the University of Texas at El Paso will begin a soil study to find out why the graves have been sinking over the past few years.

Veteran organizations, family members and local leaders have expressed concerns regarding the damage heavy rains have caused to gravesites.

September’s storms damaged 300 graves, with headstones sunk into the xeriscaped ground.

James Porter, work crew leader at the cemetery, said they work as quickly as they can to fix the damage.

“All of our employees are veterans so it bothers and affects them. And many of us have people we served with placed in a national cemetery,” he said.