Veterans groups rip outhouse plans for North Dakota cemetery

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — A coalition of veterans organizations is upset over plans to build an outhouse on the grounds of a national cemetery that borders North Dakota and Minnesota.

The group said Tuesday it plans to file a formal complaint with the Department of Veterans Affairs over the outdoor bathroom set to be built next to a proposed Native American ceremony area at the Fargo National Cemetery.

United Patriotic Bodies Commander Jason Hicks says members of the coalition “believe it is a colossal waste of taxpayer money and also not proper for a national cemetery.”

Hicks said the outhouse would have no electricity or heat in an area of the country where temperatures fall below freezing from December through April, KVRR-TV reports.

“At least with the porta potties, those can be emptied. Now think of the hot humid summers,” Hicks said.

Hicks calls the cemetery “our Arlington,” referring to Arlington National Cemetery near Washington D.C.

The National Cemetery Administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment.