Puerto Rico National Cemetery

Puerto Rico National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in the city of Bayamón, in the commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It encompasses 108.2 acres of land, and as of the end of 2005, had 44,722 interments. It is the only National Cemetery in Puerto Rico, and the only one outside of the mainland United States.

History

During World War II the area was used as a machine gun range. After the war, the land was transferred to the stewardship of the United States Department of the Army for the purpose of creating a National Cemetery. The cemetery was dedicated on Veterans Day in 1949 and has become a shrine to Puerto Ricans who have served in the United States military. In 1962, the remains from five other military cemeteries on the island were disinterred and transferred to the National Cemetery.

Puerto Rico National Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 26, 1983.

Notable interments

*Colonel Bailey K. Ashford, Spanish-American War veteran, doctor, parasitologist, author.
*PFC Fernando Luis Garcia, USMC, first Puerto Rican awarded the Medal Of Honor.
*SP5 Diana Beatriz Padro, died in The Pentagon during the September 11, 2001 attacks.
*SPC Lizbeth Robles, U.S. Army, first Puerto Rican female soldier born in Puerto Rico to die in Iraq.
*Captain Euripides Rubio, Medal of Honor recipient for action in the Vietnam War.
*SPC Frances M. Vega, U.S. Army, first Puerto Rican female soldier born in the U.S. to die in a war.

See also

*United States Department of Veterans Affairs
*United States National Cemetery

External links

* [http://www.cem.va.gov/ National Cemetery Administration]
* [http://www.cem.va.gov/CEM/cems/nchp/puertorico.asp Puerto Rico National Cemetery]