Great Lakes National Cemetery

Introduction

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Great Lakes National Cemetery was opened in 2005 as the second active U.S. National Cemetery to serve the state of Michigan. The cemetery currently comprises 544 acres and is administered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The first interment took place at Great Lakes National Cemetery on October 17, 2005. The cemetery averages approximately 15 burials of veterans (or their spouses) per day.

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Great Lakes National Cemetery, 2016

Backstory and Context

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In 2000, the U.S. Congress voted funding to establish a second active National Cemetery in Michigan to serve the needs of veterans in the state. A team from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs considered several sites in Wayne, Oakland, and Lapeer counties before spending $6.2 million to purchase a 544-acre parcel of former farm land in Holly Township from a developer. The land was designated for the creation of a second National Cemetery in Michigan (the first being Fort Custer National Cemetery in Augusta, near Battle Creek). The new cemetery was planned to serve the needs of more than 480,000 military veterans living in the region of Michigan that includes Detroit and Flint, providing burial space for veterans, their spouses and dependent minor children. The planned capacity for the cemetery is 244,000 gravesites.

The LA Group of Saratoga Springs, New York, designed the master plan and Phase I development of the cemetery, including the landscape design. In 2019, LA Group provided the Phase II cemetery expansion plan.

The cemetery was formally opened on October 15, 2005 as the 122nd National Cemetery in the United States. The first interments were made the following day. The cemetery has a staff of about 20 people, all of whom are veterans. It conducts more than 4,000 burials per year.

The entrance to the cemetery is known as the "Avenue of Flags." The flags flying over the cemetery entrance are donated by veterans' families, and each has been draped over the casket of a deceased veteran.

Sources

Eversley, Melanie. "Metro Area May Get Veterans' Cemetery," Detroit Free Press, August 6, 1999, p.5B.

Tato, Sally. "Detroit Area to Get Veterans Cemetery," Detroit Free Press, December 29, 2000, p.4B.

Gray, Kathleen. "Vets Take In National Cemetery Site," Detroit Free Press, October 15, 2004, p.4B.

"Burials Set to Begin Oct. 17 at Cemetery for Vets," Detroit Free Press, September 23, 2005, p.3B.

Greenwood Tom, and Maureen Feighan. "Flag Finally Flies at Vets' Cemetery: 1000's Gather as Holly Burial Site Opens," Detroit Free Press, October 16, 2005, p.1B.

Dennison, Cheryl. "Hallowed Ground: Great Lakes National Cemetery," MyCity Magazine, May 1, 2019 [accessed 16 August 2020: http://www.mycitymag.com/hallowed-ground-great-lakes-national-cemetery/ ]

"Great Lakes National Cemetery," LA Group website [accessed 16 August 2020: https://www.thelagroup.com/portfolio/great-lakes-national-cemetery/ ]

Image Sources(Click to expand)

Gerald Larsen