Most U.S. veterans are eligible for burial and memorial benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National Cemetery Administration. Veterans can be buried at a national cemetery or a private cemetery. There are 136 national cemeteries maintained by the VA across the United States. The most famous cemetery, Arlington National Cemetery, is maintained by the U.S. Army.
The ongoing maintenance of the cemetery and the headstones are the responsibility of different groups depending on where the veteran is buried. If you are buried in a national cemetery, the following is provided by the National Cemetery Administration:
“…we install and maintain headstones with full respect for the veteran and their family. We polish and clean headstones using professional supplies and techniques to prevent damage to the headstone/marker. Regular maintenance includes: setting new or replacement upright headstones, raise & realign upright headstones, raise & realign flat markers, headstone & marker cleaning, trimming upright headstones, edging flat markers, and sunken grave repair…:
If the veteran is buried in a private cemetery, no government agency provides any ongoing maintenance. The grounds are maintained by the private cemetery but the graves and headstones are the responsibility of the deceased’s family members. Many veterans have no family members alive or ones close enough to provide routine maintenance. Most headstones in private cemeteries are in an advanced state of decay due to sun, wind, snow, vandalism, acid rain, localized pollution, and other elements of nature.
The Forgotten
The Forgotten
