Every year, Chuck commits to traveling to all62 counties in New York to meet with constituents.
\nOn July 7, 2014 Schumer joined with local veteran leaders to launch his campaign to name the new Western New York Veterans' Cemetery after decorated war hero and Western New York legend, \"Wild Bill\" Donovan. Donovan served as a Lt. Colonel in World War I and eventually went on to found and lead the Office of Strategic Services, a precursor to the CIA, during World War II. He remains the only American to earn all four of the highest military awards in the United States. Schumer said that naming the first and only Veterans' Cemetery in the Buffalo-Rochester area after a local hero will make the site even more special. In addition, Schumer also announced his push to get the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to purchase an adjacent 60-acre property, which would give the cemetery the space it needs to grow and expand. Having a cemetery in Pembroke will save thousands of military families from having to travel upward of 100 miles to visit their loved ones at what is now the closest Veterans' Cemetery in Bath, NY. Schumer, along with various veterans groups, led the charge to bring this much-needed veterans' cemetery to Western New York.