For Our Deceased Veterans

usedto

Lunatic Member
Just found out about this.

The Department of Veterans Affairs offers headstones, markers, or medallions (depending on circumstances) for our deceased veterans. I'm providing a link to the website. It gives you an overview of the process, and there are links on the right side to the various forms and instructions.

You will nee a copy of discharge papers and death certificate to send in with the application.

I filled out the form for the bronze marker and sent it in with the documents yesterday for my late father, who served in the Army from 1942 to 1945 during WWII.

Here's the link for those of you who would like to do the same. It doesn't say how long the process takes. I'll let you know when I do.

https://www.cem.va.gov/cem/hmm/order_instructions.asp
 
Last edited:
Update - the marker/plaque arrived today. It's spectacular. It's 24" X 12" bronze and weighs just under 20 lbs. I'd post a photo, but it's going to be surprise for my siblings later on this summer.

If any of you have a late veteran relative you'd like to honor, I highly suggest you visit the site and see what you can an order. You won't be disappointed.
 
For those interested in an update:

I presented this to my siblings at our family business meeting shortly after starting this thread. Since they live closer to the cemetery than we do, I let them take care of getting it placed.

To my disappointment, it sat in a corner of a garage and basically forgotten. I had occasion to see them this weekend, and made up a story about having a friend who,wanted to help place it. We found it in the garage and I brought it home. I will see that it is properly placed.

Meanwhile, here is a photo of the marker. It is as described above, and includes mounting hardware. I have removed my father's name for obvious reasons.

If you have a family member who is a deceased veteran, I encourage you to honor them with a marker like this:Grave Marker a.jpg
 
Last edited:
I'm assuming this is for non-National cemetery burials? As a veteran you are entitled to free burial, engraved headstone, and ceremony within any National cemetery.
 
THANK YOU for this. I have an aunt in Wisconsin who has pestered me about this for my late father going on 8 years. I knew not where to turn.

Thanks!
 
Usually the funeral home takes care of the paperwork. For my late uncle all I had to do was provide a DD214 and they took care of the rest. The town cemetery department did the installation once it arrived. He has the granite version. Looks nice.
 
Usually the funeral home takes care of the paperwork. For my late uncle all I had to do was provide a DD214 and they took care of the rest. The town cemetery department did the installation once it arrived. He has the granite version. Looks nice.
Dad passed in 1995, so I was on my own for this.

I looked at the granite options. There is already a nice headstone in place, so I opted for the bronze marker. It is a small rural cemetery that my cousin and her husband look over.

The granite is a beautiful piece, though.
 
Back
Top Bottom