The entrance of the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery about an hour before the annual Memorial Day ceremony at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery on May 31, 2021. (U.S. National Guard photo by Bill Prokopyk, North Dakota National Guard Public Affairs/Released)
By William “Pro” Prokopyk
MANDAN, N.D. (ND Guard) – The North Dakota Veterans Cemetery conducted its 10,000th interment today, June 4. Interments consist of both burials and cremation.
The cemetery is a state-run, state-funded facility, that is administered by the office of the North Dakota National Guard adjutant general and accepts burial plot allowance for each Veteran interment from the Veterans Benefits Administration. It’s also assisted by charitable contributions and occasional grants administered by the VA National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Cemetery Grants Program.
“As North Dakotans, we are eternally grateful for the incredible service and sacrifice of our military members and their families, as well as the cemetery staff and volunteers who maintain the beauty and serenity of these hallowed grounds to honor them,” said Gov. Doug Burgum, commander-in-chief of the North Dakota National Guard. “Nearly three decades after its creation, the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery continues to give our military heroes and their families the proper final resting place they deserve for defending our freedom.”
The North Dakota Veterans Cemetery was built in 1992 using only state funding and charitable contributions. The cemetery serves as the site of the North Dakota National Guard’s annual Memorial Day ceremony and each December, the North Dakota Civil Air Patrol sponsors the Wreaths Across America event.
“The North Dakota Veterans Cemetery is a dignified final resting place for deceased service members and their dependents,” said Brig. Gen. Jackie Huber, deputy adjutant for the North Dakota National Guard. “The director, Pam Helbling-Schafer, her staff, and the many volunteers that help mow grass through the spring and summer months work hard to ensure these beautiful rolling hills are well maintained.”
Huber chairs the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery Foundation, a board of directors comprised of volunteers that provide strategic vision for the facility deciding how appropriated and donated funds will be used for the perpetual care and maintenance of the cemetery.
Among those interred are a Civil War Veteran, John A. Murray, who died April 20, 1916. His remains were re-interred on August 18, 1992. There are two Spanish-American war Veterans, 14 Veterans who served during World War I, 2,458 of World War II, 1,861 of the Korean War, 1,400 of the Vietnam War, 100 of the Persian Gulf conflict, and 38 Veterans who served in the military during the Global War on Terrorism era.
The North Dakota Veteran’s Cemetery is located on a 70-acre tract of land southwest of Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park was established by an act of the North Dakota state Legislative Assembly in 1989.
For more information on eligibility, please visit their website.