Memorial Day at our National Cemetery
The Presidio of San Francisco has one of the most beautiful national cemeteries in the United States. This landscape of white tombstones sits on a broad hillside overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco Bay.
Did you know the United States has 128 national cemeteries in 39 states (and Puerto Rico) as well as 33 soldier's lots and monument sites?
Many national cemeteries started out as post cemeteries at frontier forts. San Francisco's National Cemetery had its first burial in 1850 and became a national cemetery in 1884. If you visit the Department of Veterans Affairs website you will find lists starting with the original fourteen national cemeteries established in 1862.
More than 3 million Americans, including veterans of every war and conflict—from the Revolutionary War to the Gulf War—are honored by burial in VA's national cemeteries. Approximately 17,000 acres of land from Hawaii to Maine, and from Alaska to Puerto Rico are devoted to the memorialization of those who served this nation.
This Memorial Day, May 25, 2009 we honor our fallen soldiers and remember their efforts in the protection of this country.
A beautiful and serene memorial honoring World War II soldiers - in all the armed services - who perished and now sleep in the American coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean.
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