VA to host Memorial Day ceremonies at 130+ national cemeteries

WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs will host Memorial Day ceremonies this weekend at more than 130 VA national cemeteries across the country, with 100,000 total expected attendees.

The events are open to the public and will feature wreath-laying ceremonies, commemorative speeches, the playing of Taps and other events to honor fallen warriors.

All 156 VA National Cemeteries and 35 soldiers’ lots will be open throughout Memorial Day weekend, May 23-26. View the complete list of official VA National Cemetery Memorial Day events and visiting hours at a location near you. To learn more about volunteer opportunities at VA national cemeteries visit the following NCA webpage.

“Every day throughout the year, VA plays a vital role in remembering and honoring the brave servicemembers who gave their lives in defense of the freedoms America holds dear,” said VA Secretary Doug Collins. “This Memorial Day weekend, we invite Americans to visit VA cemeteries and join us in reflecting upon the important legacies of these fallen heroes.”

Members of the public may also make submissions to VA’s Veterans Legacy Memorial website, which features written tributes, photos, biographies, documents and other information.

The VLM website hosts a memorial page for each of the 10 million+ Veterans interred in VA National Cemeteries and VA grant-funded cemeteries, Department of Defense-managed cemeteries, such as Arlington National Cemetery, U.S. Park Service National Cemeteries, American Battle Monuments Commission cemeteries and in thousands of private cemeteries nationwide where Veterans have received a VA-provided gravesite marker since 1996.

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For information about VA burial benefits, visit any one of VA’s 156 national cemetery locations, visit online at VA burial benefits and memorial items or call toll-free at 800-827-1000. To pre-plan a burial for you and your family, visit the National Cemetery Administration’s pre-need eligibility website.

 Live streaming, recorded video and photographs from many ceremonies will be shared on the National Cemetery Administration's Facebook and X (Twitter) pages.

Over 5.4 million people — including 4.1 million Veterans from the Revolutionary War to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — are buried in VA national cemeteries. NCA honors eligible Veterans, active-duty servicemembers, and eligible family members with final resting places in national shrines and with lasting tributes that commemorate their service and sacrifice to the nation.