Southwest Louisiana Veterans Cemetery

The Southwest Louisiana Veterans Cemetery sits on 20 acres behind the Southwest Louisiana Veterans Home* and is the only cemetery to be situated on adjoining tracts of land. Currently, approximately 10 acres are in use with several additional phases planned for the remaining 10 acres.

The Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs broke ground on the construction of the cemetery in November 2018, and on March 6, 2020, it was dedicated by former Secretary Joey Strickland. On May 7, 2020, Marine Sgt. Ted Cox Sr. was the first to be interred, and the first committal service was held on June 11, 2020 for Army SP4 Ed Gary.

Dwayne Guidry, the cemetery’s first director, was passionate about serving others, especially in his role to ensure that he and his team provided a final resting place of honor to all interred at cemetery. Dwayne passed away in February 2025, and is now interred in the very cemetery he championed. His service at LDVA was preceded by three years in the Louisiana Army National Guard Infantry Division. He went on to spend 24 more years serving in the U.S. Army, specializing as an electronics technician for military intelligence and earning the distinction of Chief Warrant Officer IV. His active-duty career led him to three combat tours including Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.