UPDATE: 10/14/10 @ 12 p.m.
INSTITUTE, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- Ground has now been broken on what is soon to be hallowed ground for tens of thousands of West Virginia veterans.

The state is a leader when it comes to the number of veterans per capita, but until now there has been no state cemetery for them to be laid to rest.

Now, after years of work, the dream of a state veterans cemetery is one step closer to a reality.

Dow Chemical Company in Institute donated 350-acres of unused land near the State Police Academy to the state to use for the cemetery. The legislature passed a law to allot lottery funds to cover the upkeep of the cemetery. Senator Jay Rockefeller helped get a $14 million grant from the VA, the largest ever for a state cemetery, to cover the cost of construction.

But the efforts of one man truly helped make the dream a reality.

"He was just a man on a mission," Becky Kinnard says of her husband Don. "He didn't quit until the mission was complete."

Don Kinnard was a decorated war veteran with seven purple hearts, a navy cross and a bronze star among his accolaids.

But Kinnard's final mission wasn't on a foreign battlefield, instead it was right here at home, helping to create a final resting place for fellow veterans and fellow West Virginians.

"It's very emotional," Mrs. Kinnard says. "But it's a dream come true for my husband."

The state's veteran's cemetery is named in Donel Kinnard's honor. And is finally coming to fruition.

"It is something that is really gratifying," Veteran Michael McLain says. "Knowing that they have this cemetery available."

Sixty-thousand veterans will be able to be buried at the Donel Kinnard Veteran's Cemetery, which is a first for the state.

"Veterans will be able to find their final resting place in this cemetery," Senator Jay Rockefeller says. "It makes me feel peaceful, it makes me feel proud, it makes me feel like we did something right."

But the mission is one Don Kinnard didn't get to see through, sadly he died about a year and a half ago.

"This is everything he worked for," Don's granddaughter Jaye Ike says. "It makes it tangible for us, it's so hard to not have him here, and this is something that we can really hold onto."

And fittingly, the man for whom the cemetery is names, will be the first veteran laid to rest.

Kinnard served as chair of the West Virginia Veteran's Council until his death in 2009. While he played a pivitol role in making the cemetery a reality, folks at the groundbreaking ceremony had a long list of people to thank.

The cemetery is expected to be completed in 13 months.

There is a national veterans cemetery in Grafton, West Virginia.

The groundbreaking for the Donel Kinnard Memorial State Veterans Cemetery was held Thursday in Institute.

The Veterans Affairs (VA) is giving $14M for the project. This is the largest grant the VA has ever given a state cemetery.

Kinnard, the man the cemetery is named after, served as chair of the West Virginia Veterans Council until his death.

The VA program will pay 100-percent of the construction cost of the cemetery and the state will be responsible for operating it.

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It will be located in Institute and funded by proceeds from the lottery.

Dow Chemical is donating about 300 acre for the site.

The cemetery should be ready in about a year.

The Governor also signed a bill allowing volunteers who drive veterans to the hospital to collect some money to cover their daily costs.