United States National Cemetery System
The United States National Cemetery System is a system of 164 cemeteries in the United States and its territories. The authority to create military burial places came during the American Civil War, in an act passed by the U.S. Congress on July 17, 1862.[1] By the end of 1862, 12 national cemeteries had been established,[2] including two of the nation's most iconic military cemeteries, Arlington National Cemetery and Gettysburg National Cemetery.
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National Cemetery Administration
The National Cemetery Administration of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) maintains 148 national cemeteries as well as the Nationwide Gravesite Locator, which can be used to find burial locations of American military veterans through their searchable website.[3][4] The Department of the Army maintains 2 national cemeteries, Arlington National Cemetery and United States Soldiers' and Airmen's Home National Cemetery.[5] The National Park Service (NPS) maintains 14 national cemeteries associated with historic sites and battlefields.[6]
The American Battle Monuments Commission, an independent agency, maintains 26 American military cemeteries and other memorials outside the United States.
History
The first national cemeteries were set up after the United States Civil War by Edmund Burke Whitman.[7] Congress passed a law to establish and protect national cemeteries in 1867.[8]
Final military honors are provided for qualified veterans by volunteer veteran or National Guard details known as Memorial Honor Details (MHD), upon application by family members through their choice of mortuary handling the deceased.
List of United States national cemeteries
See also
Notes and references
- "A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774–1875". memory.loc.gov. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
- Administration, National Cemetery. "Dates of Establishment: National Cemeteries & NCA Burial Sites (1 of 6) - National Cemetery Administration". www.cem.va.gov. Retrieved 2022-09-25.
- "Nationwide Gravesite Locator". National Cemetery Administration.
- Administration, National Cemetery. "National Cemetery Listing – National Cemetery Administration". www.cem.va.gov. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
- "Office of Army Cemeteries > Cemeteries". armycemeteries.army.mil. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
- Address, Mailing; Road, ersonville National Cemetery National Prisoner of War Museum 496 Cemetery; ersonville; Us, GA 31711 Phone: 229 924-0343 Contact. "National Parks & National Cemeteries - Andersonville National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2022-09-25.
- "Edmund Whitman (1812–1873)". University of Michigan. Retrieved 2008-10-31.
- Chap. LXI. 14 Stat. 399 from "A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U. S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774–1875". Library of Congress, Law Library of Congress. Retrieved April 25, 2012.
Further reading
- Bontrager, Shannon. Death at the Edges of Empire: Fallen Soldiers, Cultural Memory, and the Making of an American Nation, 1863–1921 (University of Nebraska Press, 2020); memories of American war dead. online summary by author
External links
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| Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs |
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| Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health | ||
| Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Benefits | ||
| Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Memorial Affairs | ||
| Chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals | ||