ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — Officials with the Rock Island National Cemetery are inviting members of the public to an open house where they'll have a chance to visit the historic burial grounds.
The event will be held on Wednesday, June 26 and will run from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Visitors will be able to take walking tours of the historic cemetery, which opened in 1863 and holds the final resting places of two Medal of Honor recipients. Those tours will take off at 3:15 p.m., 4:15 p.m. and 5:15 p.m.
Officials also encourage veterans and their family members to visit the cemetery's administration building during the open house to learn about burial benefits available through the Department of Veteran Affairs. The VA offers free burial services in a national cemetery for eligible service members who've died. Of the 582,000 U.S. veterans who passed away in 2022, only 22% of them were buried in a national, state, or tribal veterans cemetery. Additionally, if a veteran is buried in a private cemetery, anywhere in the world, the VA provides a headstone or marker.
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