Vermont Veterans Cemetery: How veterans and their families can apply for burial
Brent Hallenbeck
RANDOLPH CENTER – The Vermont Veterans Memorial Cemetery performs more burials a year than does any other cemetery in the state, according to its website.
The Burlington Free Press sat down Wednesday with Bob Burke, director of the Vermont Office of Veterans Affairs, to learn more about the cemetery as Veterans Day approaches on Sunday.
Why it's the busiest cemetery in the state
Burke: The cemetery is the only one in Vermont still accepting applications that is devoted to veterans and their spouses, according to Burke.
“We serve a specific population throughout the state,” he said. “This is the only state veterans cemetery. There’s no national veterans cemetery here – the closest is in Saratoga (New York).”
A small veterans cemetery at the Vermont Veterans’ Home in Bennington has reached capacity with no room for expansion, he says.
More:Remembering Vermont veterans: A look back at Civil War soldiers
How many gravesites are there?
Burke: Burke said there are approximately 2,700 veterans and spouses buried at the cemetery, which opened in 1993. About 200 veterans and their spouses are interred annually at the site near Vermont Technical College.
How large is it?
Burke: Of the 110 acres at the site, 18 were developed before a recent expansion added another 12. Burke said state officials recognized by 2012 that the cemetery could be close to full within eight years, leading to the expansion that created space for another 1,640 burial plots.
What era of veterans is using the cemetery the most right now?
Burke: Of the more than 44,000 veterans living in Vermont in 2018, about 35 percent are veterans of the Vietnam War, according to Burke.
Vietnam vets are the most-common group coming to the cemetery, Burke said, adding that very few from World War II and some from the Korean War are also arriving. Burke said 65 percent of Vermont’s veterans are age 65 or older. “It’s an aging population,” he said.
Who qualifies to be interred at the cemetery?
Burke: Vermont follows federal guidelines that since 1980 have required 24 months of active service to qualify; for members of the National Guard and Reserve the requirement is 20 years of service and retirement-eligible status. Veterans cannot have been discharged for “other than honorable” reasons, according to Burke. There is no requirement for residency in Vermont.
How to apply for a burial there
Burke: Veterans and their families can visit the Vermont Office of Veterans Affairs at 118 State St., Montpelier, or call 828-3379 to request an information packet. Veterans and their families can also reach out to the office via email or apply on the office’s website, https://veterans.vermont.gov/. There is no charge for veterans to be buried at the cemetery, though there is a fee for spouses.
Contact Brent Hallenbeck at 660-1844 or [email protected]. Follow Brent on Twitter at www.twitter.com/BrentHallenbeck.
Veterans event in Randolph
WHAT: “The Telling Project,” a full-length theater work featuring nine veterans and their families sharing stories of military service
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10
WHERE: Chandler Center for the Arts, Randolph
TICKETS: $12-$28. 728-6464, www.chandler-arts.org