For the first time in decades, veterans and local military families have access to a final resting place alongside fellow servicemembers in the city of L.A.
The Los Angeles National Cemetery, closed to new burials since 1978, is once again accepting applications for interment.
“It’s fantastic, and I’m starting to tear up a bit, because I know what it means to the veterans and their family members,” said cemetery director Tom Ruck.
The openings are thanks to a newly expanded columbarium, a series of thick concrete walls with niches to store cremated remains, which opened Oct. 1. As property values climb and space for below-ground burials becomes scarcer, the Department of Veterans Affairs is building more of these high-density memorial structures in cities around the country.
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