As Memorial Day draws close, the Department of Veterans Affairs officials have added 300,000 new names to their online registry of deceased veterans and service members buried at national cemeteries in the United States.
Memorial Day was established to allow the American public to learn more about individuals who served in the military even when they can’t physically visit their final resting sites. It also gives family and friends another way to carry on their memory, through online stories and tributes.
The 300 thousand new names were added from 27 cemeteries managed by the Defense Department, separate from the VA cemetery system — bringing the total number featured in the Veterans Legacy Memorial project to nearly five million.
The online registry includes the basic military service records of the deceased veterans, the location of their final resting place, and directions on how to visit. Family members are also encouraged to submit photos, award citations, and other historic documents to be included in the listings.
The addition includes tens of thousands of individuals buried at the Arlington National Cemetery, one of the most well-known military memorial sites in America. Although many veterans are buried there, the site is managed by Army officials, not the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“The Veterans Legacy Memorial gives all of us a way to remember veterans and thank them for their service and contributions to our nation, even when we can’t visit their gravesite,” Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Matt Quinn said in a statement. “Expanding [the project] to include veterans and service members in [Defense Department] cemeteries is just the next step in achieving our goal of giving every veteran a digital memorial space.”
The Defense Department will host Memorial Day ceremonies at over 130 national cemeteries this weekend to celebrate the holiday. VA Secretary Denis McDonough is also expected to preside over a wreath-laying ceremony at the BG William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery in New Jersey on May 27. All national cemeteries run by the department will also be open throughout Memorial Day weekend from dawn to dusk, to allow visitors access to veteran’s burial sites.
You can visit the Department’s website to see the full list of events lined up for Memorial Day 2023.
