Veterans Day is observed all across the nation with ceremonies held in National Cemeteries.
The most famous National Cemetery is Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. Its 624 acres are divided into 70 sections where military casualties of every foreign U.S. war and the Civil War are interred.
It also contains world-renowned memorials including the Tomb of the Unknowns, the Iwo Jima Memorial, and President John F. Kennedy’s Eternal Flame.
There are 146 National Cemeteries across the United States.
– 130 are maintained by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA)
– 2 are maintained by the the Department of the Army, including Arlington.
– 14 are maintained by the National Park Service. These cemeteries are associated with historic sites and battlefields.
– Additionally, 24 American military cemeteries overseas are maintained by the American Battle Monuments Commission.
One of these 7 National Cemeteries could be near you, and all are near affordable timeshare rentals.
1. Cypress Hills National Cemetery, Brooklyn, NY. This 18-acre cemetery started as a Civil War cemetery, but today contains the remains of soldiers from the Revolutionary War through the Vietnam War.
2. Fort Logan National Cemetery, Denver, CO. Begun as a 3-acre post cemetery for the fort in the 1880s, this National Cemetery now covers 214 acres. Buried here is Lt. Col. John Henry Deutshendorf, Sr., who set three speed records in the B-58 Hustler bomber and earned a place in the Air Force Hall of Fame (and is the father of music legend John Denver).
3. Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, San Diego, CA. (see photo) Named for a Civil War general, this National Cemetery is also a California Historical Landmark. The first soldiers to be interred here died in the Mexican-American war when the United States Army took possession of the territory of California.
4. Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, San Antonio, TX. Covering over 150 acres, this National Cemetery contains the remains of soldiers that were transferred from other 1880s Texas army forts when they closed.
5. Florida National Cemetery, Bushnell, FL. Located 50 miles north of Tampa, this National Cemetery is over 500 acres and is actually situated in the Withlacoochee State Forest, the second-largest state forest in Florida. Buried here is Col. Leonard T. Schoreder, Jr., the first soldier ashore in the Normandy Landing on WW II’s D-Day operation.
6. National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, Phoenix, AZ. One of the newest National Cemeteries in the country, this one was not built until 1978. In 1999, over 13 million dollars was spent on improving the facilities and developing the area with the intent of serving the burial needs of veterans until the year 2030.
7. National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, HI. Locally known as Punchbowl, this National Cemetery is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Hawaii. It is nestled in the crater of an extinct volcano for which the Hawaiian name is “Puowaina,” which translates to “Hill of Sacrifice.”
When on a timeshare vacation to these cities plan to take time to visit the National Cemeteries where you’ll encounter history, hope, and the honor of a nation.
A budget-friendly timeshare rental can be found in each city listed.