GENERAL INFORMATION

Welcome to Puerto Rico National Cemetery. We hope you find peace amid these quiet and beautiful grounds and visit us again.

Families often contact us during a difficult time - after the loss of a loved one.

We are here to make the burial process as comfortable as possible. We encourage veterans and their families to talk with us in advance for information or about any questions or concerns.

When the time comes, we will ensure the committal service and any other requests are handled respectfully. We pledge to honor the dignity and memory of each person and to provide excellent service to family and friends during this difficult time.

Puerto Rico National Cemetery became a national cemetery on July 12, 1948. The cemetery serves over 150,000 veterans in Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, the Caribbean Region, and Central and South America. Situated on 108.2 acres of which 77.31 are being developed or have been developed, the cemetery accommodates casketed and cremated remains. Over 1,600 burials are conducted each year or about six per weekday. The cemetery has the only Memorial Program Service Marker Processing Center site located in a national cemetery and outside of the United States. This is the only national cemetery outside of the United States. In 1962, the remains of those interred on all other five military cemeteries on the island were transferred here.
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HISTORICAL INFORMATION

The Puerto Rico National Cemetery is located on the north side of the island in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, and is approximately 13 miles from San Juan, the capital. The cemetery serves as an American presence on the island and many distinguished Puerto Ricans who served in the U.S. military are interred there.

Prior to becoming a national cemetery, the land where the cemetery is now located was owned by the U.S. Navy and it was used as a machine gun range. After World War II, the land was transferred to the Department of the Army specifically for the construction of a new national cemetery. Negotiations for construction of the cemetery began after the land was transferred on
July 12, 1948 and the private firm of Font & Montilla was contracted to build the cemetery.

The 108.2-acre cemetery was dedicated on Veteran’s Day in 1949 and it is the only national cemetery located in Puerto Rico. According to El Diario, the local newspaper, the dedication was attended by both local and military officials such as Luis Munoz-Marin, the Governor of Puerto Rico, and Major General Herman Feldman, the Quartermaster of the U.S. Army. In his remarks during the dedication, Feldman noted that, “practically every family in Puerto Rico had a representative in uniform during World War II.” Since its dedication, Puerto Rico National Cemetery has been a shrine to Puerto Ricans who served in the armed forces.

The American Legion, Department of Puerto Rico, donated and installed an electronic 54-bell carillon at the cemetery on Jan. 12, 1969. The Court of Honor plaza, located near the cemetery’s entrance, was built and dedicated in 1975.

The cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on Sept. 26, 1983.
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NOTABLE BURIALS

Medal of Honor Recipients
Captain Euripides Rubio, (Vietnam) Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division. Tay Ninh Province, Republic of Vietnam, Nov. 11, 1966 (Section MA, Grave 1).
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FLORAL/GROUNDS REGULATIONS

Cemetery policies are conspicuously posted and readily visible to the public.
Floral arrangements accompanying the casket or urn at the time of burial will be placed on the completed grave. They will be removed when they become unsightly or when it becomes necessary to facilitate cemetery operations such as mowing.

We welcome and encourage fresh-cut flowers throughout the year and provide flower containers for gravesite display. Cemetery visitors can obtain provisional flower containers in the administration office during regular office hours. Once the blooms are spent or damaged by weather, they are removed. They also may be removed for routine mowing or other maintenance.

Artificial flowers are allowed year round. One flower vase per grave is allowed on a temporary basis and can be placed after the permanent marker has been installed. This type of flower vase, including its installation, can be bought from establishments outside the cemetery. The cemetery is not responsible for the loss or deterioration of the flower vases or flowers. Up to a dozen of fresh or artificial flowers may be placed in the vase. Cement or stones inside the flower vase are not allowed.

To maintain the dignity of the cemetery, flags, commemorative items, balloons, pinwheels, glass items, food, votive lights, statues, gravesite blankets, shepherd’s hooks and permanent plantings, among other items, are not allowed.

No item or object may be attached to a headstone or marker in a national cemetery. Painting the grave marker is not allowed.
Permanent items removed from graves will be placed in an inconspicuous holding area for one month prior to disposal. Decorative items removed from graves remain the property of the donor but are under the custodianship of the cemetery. If not retrieved by the donor, they are then governed by the rules for disposal of federal property.
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