The United States National Cemetery System is a system of 164 military 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. By the end of 1862, 12 national cemeteries had been established. Two of the nation's most iconic military cemeteries, Arlington National Cemetery which is under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Army, and Gettysburg National Cemetery , under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service , were established in 1864 and 1863, respectively.
6-502: Tahoma National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in unincorporated King County, Washington . It encompasses 158.3 acres (64.1 ha), and as of the end of 2019, had over 60,000 interments, compared to the end of 2008 with 23,479 interments, and 15,924 interments in 2005. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs , it was the only national cemetery in the state of Washington until 2020, when
12-463: A total of 73 Civil War-Era National Cemeteries from 1861 to 1868. 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. *Please note that the year listed is the official date of establishment listed by the VA. This may differ from
18-635: The Vancouver Barracks National Cemetery was established. Tahoma National Cemetery was established by the Department of Veteran Affairs on November 11, 1993, purchasing 160 acres (65 ha) from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources for $ 1.6 million. It was intended to house 13,000 graves and reach capacity by 2040. Congress approved $ 10.6 million in funding to build the cemetery in 1994 and design work began
24-672: The executive branch, established by Congress in 1923, maintains 26 American military cemeteries and other memorials outside the United States. Twelve national cemeteries were established in 1862. A total of 34 were established during the Civil War from 1861 to 1865. Additional cemeteries were set up after the United States Civil War by Edmund Burke Whitman . Congress passed additional laws to establish and protect national cemeteries in 1867. The National Cemetery Administration lists
30-607: The following year. The cemetery was dedicated on September 26, 1997, and opened for interments on October 1. Until Tahoma was completed, Washington was one of eleven states without a national cemetery; the closest had been the Willamette National Cemetery in Portland, Oregon , where some Washingtonians were buried. A second Washington national cemetery was proposed in 2006 for the Spokane area. A second phase of construction
36-825: Was completed in 2005. United States National Cemetery The National Cemetery Administration of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) maintains 148 national cemeteries as well as the Nationwide Grave-site Locator , which can be used to find burial locations of American military Veterans through their searchable website. The Department of the Army maintains two national cemeteries, Arlington National Cemetery and United States Soldiers' and Airmen's Home National Cemetery . The National Park Service (NPS) maintains 14 national cemeteries associated with historic sites and battlefields. The American Battle Monuments Commission , an independent agency of
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