–Volunteers donated approximately 482,000 hours at national cemeteries during 2008.
–More than 7.7 million people visited VA national cemeteries in 2008.
–With laws passed in 1999 and 2003, Congress directed VA to establish 12 new national cemeteries. Nine of them have opened in these states: Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia, California and Florida. The final three, Alabama National Cemetery, near Birmingham; Bakersfield National Cemetery, California; and Washington National Crossing National Cemetery, near Philadelphia, will open during 2009.
An aunt and uncle are buried at the national cemetery in Dallas (actually, Grand Prairie) and it’s a beautiful place on a hillside overlooking a lake. Very fitting.
One of my closest friends of many years’ standing is a Medal of Honor holder, and he and his wife are buried in Arlington National Cemetery. It’s a very humbling experience for me whenever I visit any National Cemetery……knowing what those grave markers represent. My wife (who served with me in the Air Force) and I have asked that we both be interred in the National Cemetery in Gustine, California……among our fellow veterans.