Rudy Lopez, the director of the Washington State Veterans Cemetery at Medical Lake, southwest of Spokane, is one of Washington’s 600,000 veterans. In a 30-year U.S. Air Force career, Lopez lived all over the world. His family roots run 200 years deep in Texas. But when he landed at Fairchild AFB in Spokane in 2010 to become the Command Chief Master Sergeant for the 92nd Air Refueling Wing he realized he never wanted to leave. Now his role overseeing the Veterans Cemetery at Medical Lake is “the honor of a lifetime,” Lopez says. “I’m blessed to have this job and to be able to keep serving my country in this place.”

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