1 John Spruyt Director April 18, 2012 North Carolina Association of County Veteran Service Officers

Our History First national cemeteries established in 1862 Prior, soldiers buried where they fell “To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan.” Commander in Chief Lincoln

Our Mission The National Cemetery Administration honors Veterans and their families with final resting places in national shrines and lasting tributes that commemorate their service and sacrifice to our Nation.

Our Vision To be the model of excellence for burial and memorials for our Nation’s Veterans and their families.

Standard of Excellence 2010 American Customer Satisfaction Index: Achieved the highest ranking of any public or private organization…for the 4th consecutive time in 10 years!

Our Responsibilities Provide burial space for Veterans and eligible family members and maintain national cemeteries as national shrines Administer the Federal grants program for construction of State and Tribal Veterans cemeteries Furnish headstones, markers and medallions for the graves of Veterans around the world Administer the Presidential Memorial Certificate program Administer the First Notice of Death program

Burial Benefits Gravesite Opening and closing of the grave Grave liner Perpetual care of the gravesite Headstone, marker or medallion U.S. Flag Presidential Memorial Certificate Use of outdoor committal shelter Military Honors (provided by DOD)

Headstones and Markers

Bronze Veteran Medallion In lieu of headstone or marker Death on or after November 1, 1990 Features branch of service

Presidential Memorial Certificate For honorably discharged Veterans Inscribed with the Veteran’s name Bears the President’s signature

Eligibility Criteria Any member of U.S. Armed Forces who dies on active duty Any Veteran who was discharged under conditions other than dishonorable National Guard members and Reservists with 20 years of qualifying service, who are entitled to retired pay Spouses and minor children, adult dependent. Certain eligible parents (Corey Shea Act)

NCA Fast Facts 131 National Cemeteries 20,000 acres 3.1 million gravesites 8.1 million visitors/yr 1,700 employees In FY11: - 117,426 burials - 372,659 markers and headstones - 779,666 Presidential Memorial Certificates Fort Custer National Cemetery, Augusta, MI

% of Veterans Served Fiscal Year *By an open national, state or tribal Veterans cemetery within 75 miles of home

Strategy to Meet Burial Needs of Veterans Extend the service life of existing cemeteries Columbarium Willamette National Cemetery, Portland, OR

Strategy to Meet Burial Needs of Veterans Develop new national cemeteries Five new national cemeteries planned Urban initiative Fort Jackson National Cemetery, Columbia, SC

Future National Cemetery Construction Omaha NE area Tallahassee FL area Melbourne FL area Buffalo NY area South Central CO area New York City area Los Angeles area Chicago area San Francisco area New National Cemetery Urban Initiative Indianapolis area

Operations Overview

National Cemetery Scheduling Office Now serving all cemeteries except Puerto Rico

Committal Shelters Brief memorial services and military honors Great Lakes National Cemetery, Holly, MI

Full Casket Burial Area San Francisco National Cemetery, CA

Cremated Remains Burial Area South Florida National Cemetery, Lake Worth, FL

Columbaria Jacksonville National Cemetery, FL

Memorial Wall Bakersfield National Cemetery, CA

National Gravesite Locator Available at cemetery kiosks and on the Web and handheld devices

Burial of Homeless Vets Calverton National Cemetery, Long Island, NY January 2011

National Training Center Cemetery Director Intern Program Caretaker Administrative/ Cemetery Representative Supervisory Landscaping/Gardening Heavy Equipment NCA Leadership Institute New Caretaker Course

Assistance to Arlington NC At the request of the Secretary of the Army, VA/NCA continues to provide assistance to ANC in the areas of: –Personnel –Information technology –Training

National Shrine Commitment An initiative to maintain the appearance of VA cemeteries in a manner befitting their status as National Shrines

The North Carolina National Cemetery Complex The North Carolina Complex is composed of Salisbury, Raleigh, New Bern, Wilmington and Danville National Cemeteries. Raleigh, New Bern and Wilmington National Cemeteries are closed to first interments. Danville is opened to first interment cremations. Salisbury is opened to casketed and cremation burials.

North Carolina State Veteran Cemeteries Western Carolina State Veterans Cemetery, Black Mountain, NC Coastal Carolina State Veterans Cemetery, Jacksonville, NC Sandhills State Veterans Cemetery, Spring Lake, NC

Salisbury National Cemetery Established in 1865 First burials from the Salisbury Confederate prison during the Civil War. Mass burials of 11,000 unknown Union troops in trenches. 24,500+ veterans and family members interred at the FY 2011 FY interments 445 casketed 262 cremations (141 in-ground and 121 columbarium)

1,000 Niche Columbarium

3,400 Preplaced Crypts

CRYPT

Thank you for your interest! I invite you to stay in touch with NCA by: Visiting our Websitewww.cem.va.gov Following us on Becoming a fan on Facebook