Update: FFFV reached back this evening and said the shuttle buses will be full, so we should park inside the cemetary instead. I've added an additional parking waypoint for the Memorial Path parking area. Only about five vehicles fit in the two small lots there but we may also park along the street. I'll be there early with a cooler of waters in my trunk (geotagged rear window, Honda Fit) unless I manage to fit it on my scooter!
We won't be part of the volunteer registry, unfortunately, but we'll still have the chance to pay our respects and reflect on what Memorial Day means.
This event is more than just gathering to enjoy one another's company, but the opportunity to place flags at headstones for the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Coasties, and Marines who have lost their lives defending the United States and our allies. I will sign up our group of volunteers with the Flags for Fallen Veterans once 10 people have confirmed attendance. Otherwise, we can volunteer independently or join another MeetUp group. The flags are provided and we are assigned a section to place them. I'll add the section and additional parking waypoint (if it changes) of where we'll be placing flags once it's confirmed. I'm aiming for sections 44 and 45 which are close to the entrance gate and bathrooms and have decomposed granite sidewalks between the rows, so this will be easiest for those of us with wheelchairs, walkers, or canes. It's also one of the oldest sections of the cemetary.
We can pay our respects to those buried here and walk around this peaceful and meticulously maintained cemetary. It is open to the public daily. There are funerals held here every day. You may occasionally see one from the roadway if you pass by daily. I have had the honor to play Taps on the bugle, fold the American flag, and present it to loved ones on numerous ocassions. It's hard to not shed tears during the presentation as family members grieve.
What is Memorial Day and who is being remembered?
Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for honoring and mourning the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. From 1868 to 1970, it was observed on May 30. Since 1971, it is observed on the last Monday of May.
What is the importance of this cemetary?
Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery adjoining the Fort Sam Houston Military Post in San Antonio, Texas, was one of seven national cemeteries established during the expansion of the National Cemetery System between the World Wars, specifically in 1934–1939. This first major expansion since the Civil War was due to an increased veteran population, combined with the rapidly depleting burial space at existing national cemeteries. Cemetery locations were chosen based on where veterans lived. The other interwar cemeteries are Baltimore, Maryland; Fort Bliss, Texas; Fort Snelling, Minnesota; Fort Rosecrans and Golden Gate, California; and Long Island, New York, national cemeteries.
San Antonio has held strategic military importance throughout its history. The first Spanish military camp was established there in 1718. In the early 1800s American settlers moved into the region in large numbers and tension with the new Mexican government led to the Texas Revolution (1835–1836). In this conflict, the Texas Army led by Sam Houston gained de facto independence from Mexico. The Alamo, a San Antonio mission, was the location of a pivotal battle in the revolution. The United States formally annexed the territory in 1846 and the Army established a quartermaster depot in San Antonio that supported American forces during the Mexican-American War (1846–1848). A permanent military post was established there in 1875 and it was named Fort Sam Houston in 1890. Prominent visitors to the post included Chief Geronimo, who was held there in 1886 before his exile to Florida, and Theodore Roosevelt who stopped with his men to receive provisions before leaving for Cuba in 1898. The fort also supplied General John J. Pershing's punitive expedition against "Pancho" Villa (1916–1917).
The fort at San Antonio utilized multiple burial grounds throughout its history. The first was the City Cemetery until 1867 when a small tract of donated land within the city became San Antonio National Cemetery—both were miles away from the post. The fort outgrew this national cemetery and, in 1924, the War Department set aside a portion of Fort Sam Houston for a supplementary post cemetery; the first interment occurred here in 1926. San Antonio National Cemetery reached capacity by the early 1930s and on August 6, 1931, the War Department transferred 60 acres, including the post cemetery, for use as a national cemetery annex. It retained the San Antonio National Cemetery Annex name until 1937 when it was renamed Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.
Fort Sam Houston was the largest Army post in the United States in 1940 and during World War II it served as a major internment center for prisoners of war. As POW camps across the United States closed after the war, the Army consolidated graves from camp cemeteries and permanently interred remains at post or federal cemeteries. Axis prisoners were buried in the cemetery's southeast corner, the graves initially separated from those of veterans and eligible family members by a fence and plantings. However, ongoing grave-site expansion has merged POW and U.S. service burials.
Major construction projects were undertaken between November 1933 and June 1934 while the cemetery was still considered an annex. A lodge, restroom facilities, rostrum, and stone wall were built in part by civilian workers of the New Deal's Works Progress Administration. The buildings were in the Spanish Revival style. A utility building of the same style was added in 1938 as was a new flagpole with a Texas pink granite base. A stone wall and entry gate along the north cemetery boundary were built in summer 1941.
Similar to the consolidation of POW remains, the burials at one-time Texas frontier posts such as Fort Ringgold, Fort Clark, and Fort McIntosh were reinterred in Fort Sam Houston when those facilities closed in 1947.
Improvements and expansions continued throughout the twentieth century. Fort Sam Houston is one of 78 VA national cemeteries with burial sections that use upright headstones and flat grave markers. In 1941 the cemetery consisted of 25 developed acres; currently it contains roughly 338 acres of which 200 acres have been developed. Unlike some other inter-world war national cemeteries, Fort Sam Houston has the potential to remain open for decades.
Monuments and Memorials
Seven standard memorial monuments made of Texas pink granite are located along the Memorial Path that meanders around Section 9 in the east half of the cemetery. A memorial carillon was installed in 1982.
As a bonus to end your day, there is an Earthcache right outside of the cemetary. It used to be open to the public but was fenced in during heightened security of the water systems. You can still find and claim it from the cemetary, though.