MISSION - A local cemetery is restoring the final resting place of men and women who served our country.

Commander Richard Pena with America’s Last Patrol said he usually attends processions for his fellow veterans. He said he frequents the Rio Grande Valley State Veterans Cemetery enough to see some flaws.

“It’s a nice cemetery. It needs a little bit of improving here and there, but we just need to keep it up,” he said.

He pointed out some stones that sit atop a structure. We saw the stones may have been fixed before, but the damage resurfaced due to the ground shifting.

“They’ve got cracking material on the tops. They’re cracking because it’s a manmade material,” said Eric Brown, deputy director of Texas Sate Veterans Cemetery Program. “(It) doesn’t last long as a natural material such as limestone.”

The cemetery plans to replace the cap stones with natural limestone material. The fix is expected to be permanent, and should withstand the shift of soil and inclement weather.

Pena said some of his friends are buried at the cemetery. He said he’s glad to know the cemetery will be working to restore their final resting place.

The cemetery said work will begin this fall and should take about six months to complete. None of the remains will need to be relocated.