Letter from the Chairwoman — A Year Spent Honoring and Supporting Texas Veterans
Dear Veteran,
As we welcome a new year, I would like to take a moment to recognize the remarkable ways the Texas Veterans Land Board (VLB) supported Veterans across this great state in 2025. From opening a 10th Texas State Veterans Home (TSVH) to breaking ground on an expansion project for one of our pristine Texas State Veterans Cemeteries, the VLB has been working around the clock, year-round, to ensure Veterans have access to the benefits they have earned and deserve.
One of the many ways the VLB supports Veterans and their families is through our loan programs, which help them own land, buy their first homes, and modify their homes to fit their specific needs. During the 2025 fiscal year, the VLB closed 1,758 home, land, and home improvement loans totaling over $464.313 million. We also proudly announced that our home loan amount increased from $766,550 to $806,500, helping Texas Veterans achieve their American dream.
The VLB also helped Veterans share their stories and connect with their communities this year. Through the Voices of Veterans Oral History program, we interview Veterans of all ages, from a wide range of military operations, and preserve their memories alongside other valuable pieces of Texas history for future generations. This year, the VLB interviewed 29 Texas Veterans who shared their stories of service. Veterans living in our Texas State Veterans Homes felt the love from their communities this year when they received a total of 37,997 Valentine’s Day cards through our Valentines for Vets program. This generous support set a record for the most cards donated through the program to date.
This year marked a period of growth for the VLB as we expanded our capacity to meet the needs of our Veterans. I was honored to host the grand opening of the Tuskegee Airmen Texas State Veterans Home in Fort Worth, the VLB’s 10th long-term care facility for eligible Veterans, spouses, and Gold Star Parents residing in Texas. This new, state-of-the-art Veterans home spans 100,000 square feet and can accommodate 120 Veterans. The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African American combat flying support program in the United States Armed Forces. These pilots served during World War II and earned over 150 Distinguished Flying Cross awards, 60 Purple Hearts, and the Congressional Gold Medal.
The VLB also broke ground on an expansion project for the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery. I was joined by congressional, state, and local leaders in Killeen to unveil the project, which will help ensure Texas Veterans are buried with dignity and that their families have a beautiful place to honor the memory of their loved ones. The project will develop nearly 20 acres at the cemetery and include 4,700 pre-placed crypts, 4,000 columbaria
niches, 2,700 in-ground cremated remains plots, a second Committal Shelter, and Space Force integration. This expansion aims to provide plot space for the next 10 years.
The VLB also submitted a grant application to the National Cemetery Administration (NCA) to build the East Texas State Veterans Cemetery, which will be the VLB’s 6th Veterans cemetery. Additionally, our Texas State Veterans Cemeteries celebrated receiving a customer satisfaction score of over 99% for the third consecutive year from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) 2025 National Cemetery Administration State and Tribal Veterans Cemeteries Satisfaction Survey.
Each of these vital accomplishments deserves recognition as the VLB begins its 80th year of service to Texas Veterans. However, I urge Texans to remember that these are simply a few highlights of what we have achieved for our Veterans.
Every day, the VLB’s staff works tirelessly to ensure every Veteran receives the care and support they need. From our dedicated call center team, who handle tough questions, to our outreach specialists traveling across Texas to bring VLB benefits to every Veteran, it is the hardworking men and women of the VLB, many of whom are Veterans themselves, who make everything our agency does possible. I thank them for their extraordinary dedication and look forward to another year of serving those who have selflessly served our nation.
For Texas,
Chairwoman Dawn Buckingham, M.D.
Letter from the Chairwoman — A Year Spent Honoring and Supporting Texas Veterans was originally published in Texas Veterans Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
