Los Angeles National Cemetery

Last updated
Los Angeles National Cemetery
Los Angeles National Cemetery 01.jpg
Cemetery entrance
Los Angeles National Cemetery
Details
Established1889
Location
CountryUS
Coordinates 34°03′40″N118°27′12″W / 34.0611154°N 118.4534010°W / 34.0611154; -118.4534010
TypePublic
Owned by US Department of Veterans Affairs
Size
  • 114 acres (46 ha) developed
  • 13 acres (5.3 ha) under development
No. of interments>85,000
Website www.cem.va.gov/CEM/cems/nchp/losangeles.asp
Find a Grave Los Angeles National Cemetery
Bob Hope Veterans Chapel, with a plaque honoring Hope shown on the wall by the chapel's entrance Los Angeles National Cemetery chapel 01.jpg
Bob Hope Veterans Chapel, with a plaque honoring Hope shown on the wall by the chapel's entrance

The Los Angeles National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in the Sawtelle unincorporated community of the West Los Angeles neighborhood in Los Angeles County, California.

Contents

Geography

Interstate 405 next to the cemetery, 1957 CA 53 I5 FHWA 1957 5599 4.jpg
Interstate 405 next to the cemetery, 1957

The entrance to the cemetery is located at 950 South Sepulveda Boulevard (90049) at Constitution Avenue, near the intersection of Sepulveda Boulevard and Wilshire Boulevard. It is adjacent to Westwood, Los Angeles and UCLA along the east across Veteran Avenue, and the main Sawtelle Veterans Home campus across the San Diego Freeway (405) along the west. The cemetery was dedicated on May 22, 1889. [1] It is directly connected to the central Veterans Home facilities by Constitution Avenue's underpass below freeway.

Cemetery

Interred on its 114 acres (46 ha) are war veterans, from the:

An annual ceremony commemorating the birthday of Abraham Lincoln is held at the cemetery on or near February 12. The cemetery's annual Memorial Day program draws several thousand attendees each year.

The chapel at the cemetery was renamed the Bob Hope Veterans Chapel on 29 May 2002, Bob Hope's 99th birthday, in "celebration of his lifelong service to our American Veterans." [2] [3]

Notable burials

Medal of Honor recipients

Fourteen Medal of Honor recipients are buried at the cemetery: [1]

  • Sergeant First Class (then Sergeant) Chris Carr (medal awarded under name of Christos H. Karaberis), (World War II), US Army, Company L, 337th Infantry, 85th Infantry Division. Guignola, Italy, October 1–2, 1944
  • Sergeant George H. Eldridge, (Indian Campaigns) US Army, Company C, 6th US Cavalry. Wichita River, Texas, July 12, 1870
  • Sergeant Harry Harvey (also known as Harry Huckman [1] ), (Spanish American War) US Marine Corps, April 5, 1929
  • Sergeant (then Corporal) Luther Kaltenbach, (Civil War) US Army, Company F, 12 Iowa Infantry. Nashville, Tennessee, December 16, 1864
  • Landsman William F. Lukes (Korean Campaign of 1871) US Navy, Company D. Korean Forts, June 9–10, 1871
  • Color Sergeant George McKee, (Civil War), US Army, Company D, 89th New York Infantry. Petersburg, Virginia, April 2, 1865
  • Sergeant (then Private) Edward Murphy, (Indian Campaigns) US Army, Company G, 1st US Cavalry. Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona Territory, October 20, 1869
  • Corporal Edwin Phoenix, (Indian Campaigns) US Army, Company E, 4th US Cavalry. Red River Texas, September 26–28, 1875
  • Farrier Samuel Porter, (Indian Campaigns) US Army, Company L, 6th US Cavalry. Wichita River, Texas, July 12, 1870
  • Private Charles W. Rundle, (Civil War) US Army, Company A, 116th Illinois Infantry. Vicksburg, Mississippi, May 22, 1863
  • Wagoner Griffin Seward, (Indian Campaigns) US Army, Company G, 8th US Cavalry. Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona Territory, October 20, 1869
  • Coxswain Timothy Sullivan, (Civil War) US Navy, USS Louisville. Battles in Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi, unknown date of action
  • Corporal (then Private) James Sweeney, (Civil War) US Army, Company A, 1st Vermont Cavalry. Cedar Creek, Virginia, October 19, 1864
  • Private Robert H. Von Schlick (China Relief Expedition, Boxer Rebellion) US Army, Infantry, Company C, 9th US Infantry. Tientsin, China, July 13, 1900

Other veterans

A bronze soldier standing at parade rest is perched atop a boulder to honor Civil War soldiers, erected in 1942. Los Angeles National Cemetery, looking NorthEast.jpg
A bronze soldier standing at parade rest is perched atop a boulder to honor Civil War soldiers, erected in 1942.
View towards southwest and the Bob Hope Veterans Chapel Los Angeles National Cemetery View 1.jpg
View towards southwest and the Bob Hope Veterans Chapel

Future burials

Los Angeles National Cemetery has been closed to new interments since approximately 1978, with the exception of spouses of those already buried. To accommodate community need, the Department of Veterans Affairs acquired another 13 acres (5.3 ha) to permit the cemetery to expand. [8] Future interments will be in urns of cremated ashes placed in columbarium walls built on the new land. By eliminating ground burials, the new acreage will permit about as many new interments as are in the existing 114 acres (46 ha). [9]

The entrance sign to the new columbarium section opened October 2019 Los Angeles National Cemetery.jpg
The entrance sign to the new columbarium section opened October 2019

In 2017, Los Angeles National Cemetery began construction on the first phase of the columbarium on Constitution Avenue, west of I-405 just 100 yards (91 m) from the main cemetery entrance. This phase opened in October 2019 and occupies approximately 4.4 acres (1.8 ha) of the site and holds 10,000 niches for cremated remains. The cemetery will construct additional niches on the site as needed until it reaches the planned capacity of 90,854. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sawtelle, Los Angeles</span> Unincorporated community in California, United States

Sawtelle is a neighborhood in West Los Angeles, on the Westside of Los Angeles, California. The short-lived City of Sawtelle grew around the Pacific Branch of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, later the Sawtelle Veterans Home, and was incorporated as a city in 1899. Developed by the Pacific Land Company, and named for its manager W. E. Sawtelle, the City of Sawtelle was independent for fewer than 30 years before it was annexed by the City of Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calverton National Cemetery</span> Veterans cemetery in Suffolk County, New York

Calverton National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in the Town of Riverhead in Suffolk County on eastern Long Island in New York. The cemetery's street address is in Calverton but the property is in the adjacent hamlet of Wading River. It encompasses 1,045 acres (423 ha) and as of the end of 2008 had 212,000 interments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery</span> Historic veterans cemetery in San Diego, California

Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery is a federal military cemetery in the city of San Diego, California. It is located on the grounds of the former Army coastal artillery station Fort Rosecrans and is administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The cemetery is located approximately 10 miles (16 km) west of Downtown San Diego, overlooking San Diego Bay and the city from one side, and the Pacific Ocean on the other. Fort Rosecrans is named after William Starke Rosecrans, a Union general in the American Civil War. The cemetery was registered as California Historical Landmark #55 on December 6, 1932. The cemetery is spread out over 77.5 acres (31.4 ha) located on both sides of Catalina Blvd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden Gate National Cemetery</span> Veterans cemetery in San Mateo County, California

Golden Gate National Cemetery is a United States national cemetery in California, located in the city of San Bruno, 12 miles (20 km) south of San Francisco. Because of the name and location, it is frequently confused with San Francisco National Cemetery, which dates to the 19th century and is in the Presidio of San Francisco, in view of the Golden Gate. Around 1937, San Francisco residents voted to bar the opening of new cemeteries within the city proper and, as a result, the site for the new national cemetery was selected south of the city limits in adjacent San Mateo County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riverside National Cemetery</span> Veterans cemetery in Riverside County, California

Riverside National Cemetery (RNC) is a cemetery located in Riverside, California, dedicated to the interment of United States military personnel. The cemetery covers 921 acres (373 ha). It has been the most active cemetery in the system since 2000, based on the number of interments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Logan National Cemetery</span> Historic veterans cemetery in Denver, Colorado

Fort Logan National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in Denver, Colorado. Fort Logan, a former U.S. Army installation, was named after Union General John A. Logan, commander of US Volunteer forces during the American Civil War. It contains 214 acres (87 ha) and has over 122,000 interments as of 2014. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sawtelle Boulevard</span> Thoroughfare in Los Angeles

Sawtelle Boulevard is a north/south street in the Westside region of the city of Los Angeles, California. For most of its length, it parallels the San Diego Freeway, one block to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery</span> Historic veterans cemetery in Leavenworth County, Kansas

Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located on Fort Leavenworth, a United States Army installation north of Leavenworth, Kansas. It was officially established in 1862, but was used as a burial ground as early as 1844, and was one of the twelve original United States National Cemeteries designated by Abraham Lincoln. The cemetery is the resting place of nine Medal of Honor recipients, but most are the less famous casualties of war. It was named for Brigadier General Henry Leavenworth, who was re-interred there in 1902 from Woodland Cemetery in Delhi, New York. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it occupies approximately 36.1 acres (14.6 ha) and was site to over 22,00 interments, as of 2020. It is maintained by Leavenworth National Cemetery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leavenworth National Cemetery</span> Veterans cemetery in Leavenworth, Kansas

Leavenworth National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas. It occupies 128.8 acres (52.1 ha) of land. As of the end of 2005 it had 30,875 interments. It is sometimes locally referred to as "Old Soldiers' Home".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chattanooga National Cemetery</span> Historic veterans cemetery in Hamilton County, Tennessee

Chattanooga National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located near the center of the city of Chattanooga in Hamilton County, Tennessee. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it encompasses 120.9 acres (48.9 ha), and as of 2014, had more than 50,000 interments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Bayard National Cemetery</span> Historic veterans cemetery in Grant County, New Mexico

Fort Bayard National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in the Fort Bayard Historic District, near Silver City, New Mexico. It encompasses 18.8 acres (7.6 ha), and as of the end of 2020, had 6,000 interments. It is one of two national cemeteries in New Mexico, and is administered by Santa Fe National Cemetery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Bliss National Cemetery</span> Historic veterans cemetery in El Paso County, Texas

Fort Bliss National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in West Texas, located at Fort Bliss, a U.S. Army post adjacent to the city of El Paso. Administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, it encompasses 82.1 acres (33.2 ha), and as of 2014, had over 50,000 interments. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puerto Rico National Cemetery</span> Historic veterans cemetery in Bayamón, Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico National Cemetery is a United States national cemetery located in the city of Bayamón, in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It encompasses 108.2 acres (43.8 ha) of land, and at the end of 2005, had 44,722 interments. Until 2021, it was the only United States National Cemetery in Puerto Rico. A second United States National Cemetery was built in Morovis, Puerto Rico because the cemetery in Bayamón has reached its capacity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery</span> Historic veterans cemetery in Bexar County, Texas

Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it encompasses 154.7 acres (62.6 ha), and as of 2014, had over 144,000 interments. The cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Antonio National Cemetery</span> Historic veterans cemetery in Bexar County, Texas

San Antonio National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in the city of San Antonio in Bexar County, Texas. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it encompasses 3.7 acres (1.5 ha), and as of the end of 2005, had 3,163 interments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cypress Hills National Cemetery</span> Veterans cemetery in Brooklyn, New York

Cypress Hills National Cemetery is a 18.2-acre (7.4 ha) cemetery located in the Cypress Hills neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City. It is the only United States National Cemetery in New York City and has more than 21,100 interments of veterans and civilians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Francisco National Cemetery</span> Historic veterans cemetery

San Francisco National Cemetery is a United States national cemetery, located in the Presidio of San Francisco, California. Because of the name and location, it is frequently confused with Golden Gate National Cemetery, a few miles south of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marietta National Cemetery</span> Veterans cemetery in Cobb County, Georgia, United States

Marietta National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in the city of Marietta in Cobb County, Georgia. It encompasses 23.3 acres (9.4 ha), and as of the end of 2006, had 18,742 interments. It is closed to new interments, and is now maintained by the new Georgia National Cemetery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memphis National Cemetery</span> United States National Cemetery

Memphis National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in the Nutbush neighborhood in northeast Memphis, Tennessee. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it encompasses 44.2 acres (17.9 ha), and as of the end of 2007, had 42,184 interments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sawtelle Veterans Home</span> Care home for United States military veterans (1887–1927)

The Sawtelle Veterans Home was a care home for disabled American veterans in what is today part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area in California in the United States. The Home, formally the Pacific Branch of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, was established in 1887 on 300 acres (1.2 km2) of Rancho San Vicente y Santa Monica lands donated by Senator John P. Jones and Arcadia B. de Baker. The following year, the site grew by an additional 200 acres (0.81 km2); in 1890, 20 acres (0.081 km2) more were appended for use as a veterans' cemetery. With more than 1,000 veterans in residence, a new hospital was erected in 1900. This hospital was replaced in 1927 by the James W. Wadsworth Hospital, now known as the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Los Angeles National Cemetery". United States Department of Veterans Affairs . Retrieved 2012-01-26.
  2. "Dedication Ceremony to Honor Bob Hope, May 29 at Los Angeles National Cemetery" (Press release). Los Angeles National Cemetery. 2002-05-24. Archived from the original on 2018-02-06. Retrieved 2018-02-06 via Primezone.
  3. "Bob Hope Veterans Chapel Renovation". Veterans Park Conservancy. Retrieved 2018-02-06.
  4. Wolfson, Lisa (April 1, 1987). "Memorial Service for Pilot–Actor Son of Dean Martin". Associated Press. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  5. "Howard McNear, Actor, 63; On Andy Griffith Show" . The New York Times . January 7, 1969. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  6. "Los Angeles National Cemetery". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  7. "Among the fallen heroes, two dogs rest". Zev Yaroslavsky; LA County Supervisor. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
  8. Denkmann, Libby (October 10, 2019). "LA's Only National Cemetery For Vets Is Finally Taking New Applications After More Than 40 Years". LAist . Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  9. Spencer, Aaron (January 24, 2012). "Walker Macy designs Los Angeles National Cemetery expansion". Daily Journal of Commerce . Portland, Oregon. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  10. "VA Dedicates New Columbarium at Los Angeles National Cemetery" (Press release). National Cemetery Administration. October 7, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2020.