Washington, D.C. Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery (ALNC), the 117th Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) national cemetery and the seventh in Illinois, will be officially dedicated Sunday, October 3, in Elwood, Ill.
"This new cemetery reflects the continued fulfillment of VA's promise to our nation's veterans to provide burial space for the men and women who served our country in time of need," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Togo D. West Jr. "It is fitting that what is projected to be one of the most active national cemeteries in the country carries the name of Abraham Lincoln, the founder of our system of national cemeteries for veterans."
VA Deputy Secretary Hershel W. Gober will preside over the dedication ceremony, which will be attended by national, state and local dignitaries, various veterans service organizations, area veterans and their families.
Former Illinois Congressman George E. Sangmeister, Chairman of the ALNC Veterans Support Committee, will be master of ceremonies. Illinois Congressman Jerry Weller, in whose district the cemetery is located, will be among the dignitaries providing remarks. An audience of 3,000 is expected.
The $19 million national cemetery is located south of Joliet, approximately 50 miles from downtown Chicago, adjacent to the Midewin National Tall Grass Prairie. More than one million veterans in northeastern Illinois and northwestern Indiana live within 75 miles of the site. Presently, the nearest VA national cemeteries are in Danville, 95 miles south of the cemetery; and Rock Island, 135 miles to the west.
Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery will provide more than 400,000 burial spaces once the 982-acre site is fully developed. The 150-acre first phase project will contain approximately 27,000 gravesites, including 2,000 pre-placed graveliners, 3,000 columbarium niches and 2,300 garden niches for cremated remains.
With additional expansion projects, the cemetery is projected to provide burial space for eligible veterans and their families well into the next century. It will become a focal point for patriotic observances and ceremonies.
In addition to Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery, VA expects to open two other new national cemeteries in Fiscal Year 2000: Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery in Texas; and, the Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery near Cleveland.
Billy D. Murphy was named director of Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in June 1998. As director, he is responsible for all burial and maintenance operations at the cemetery.
Lincoln's history and contribution to this nation touch all Americans, especially those of Illinois, where Lincoln lived, worked and is buried. In 1862, Lincoln signed legislation authorizing the purchase of cemetery grounds to be used as national cemeteries "for soldiers who shall have died in the service of the country." Fourteen national cemeteries were established that first year.
By 1870, the remains of nearly 300,000 Union dead had been buried in 73 national cemeteries around the country. Lincoln's remains rest at Oak Lawn Cemetery, a private facility in Springfield, Ill.
Information on VA burial benefits is available from national cemetery offices and VA regional offices. For more information, call 1-800-827-1000 or visit the VA home page on the World Wide Web at http://www.va.gov or the National Cemetery Administration home page at http://www.cem.va.gov. Veterans with discharges other than dishonorable, their spouses and dependent children are eligible for burial in a VA national cemetery. VA also provides grave markers and headstones for the unmarked graves of eligible veterans even if they are not buried in a national cemetery.
