WELCOME TO FIVE STAR HERO
Five Star Hero is a virtual multi-cache within Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, California. It has welcomed geocachers since May 25, 2003.
This cache was created with the permission of the cemetery administration. Nothing has been hidden, buried, or placed anywhere in the cemetery. Your GPS skills will lead you to one of the most distinctive military headstones in America: the grave of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz.
Please remember: This is a national cemetery and an active place of remembrance. Walk only where visitors are permitted and conduct yourself with the dignity and respect these grounds deserve.
Visitation hours: 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. daily. Because hours and access conditions can change, check the official cemetery website before making a special trip.
YOUR MISSION
From the posted coordinates, project a waypoint:
- Distance: 466 feet (0.088 mile)
- Bearing: 52 degrees magnetic
Your destination is the only headstone in the cemetery engraved with five stars.
To log this cache
- Email me the symbol and first name found on the headstone immediately to the left of the five-star headstone. I chose this neighboring marker because the person shares my daughter's first name and birthday.
- Include the email address where you would like the certificate sent.
- I will reply with a personalized Five Star Hero Certificate of Achievement containing your Finder Number and final logging instructions.
- Include the requested information from the certificate in your online log.
Please do not post a close-up photograph that reveals either headstone or the verification answer. Wider cemetery photographs that preserve the hunt are welcome.
GOLDEN GATE NATIONAL CEMETERY
Congress authorized a new national cemetery near San Francisco in 1937 as the cemetery at the Presidio approached capacity. The federal government acquired approximately 162 acres in 1938. Construction began in 1940, the first interments took place in June 1941, and the cemetery was dedicated the following month.
The land had once been associated with the Buri Buri people and later became part of a Mexican land grant and the Sneath Ranch. Today, long rows of white marble markers preserve the stories of veterans, service members, and eligible family members from many eras.
Look closely and you will see many authorized emblems of belief, group burial markers for service members who died together, and memorial markers for those whose remains were never recovered. Section E also contains the graves of 44 German and Italian prisoners of war who died while held in the United States during World War II.
On Memorial Day, a flag is placed beside each grave, transforming the cemetery into a particularly moving landscape of remembrance.
FLEET ADMIRAL CHESTER W. NIMITZ
The five stars mark the grave of Fleet Admiral Chester William Nimitz (1885–1966), one of America's foremost naval leaders.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Nimitz assumed command of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. At one of the darkest moments in American history, he inherited a fleet that had suffered devastating losses and faced an enemy advancing rapidly across the Pacific.
His calm leadership, strategic judgment, and confidence helped transform the Pacific war. Forces under his command halted Japanese expansion at the Coral Sea, won the decisive Battle of Midway, and carried the Allied advance across the Pacific through campaigns that included Guadalcanal, the Central Pacific islands, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa.
In December 1944, Nimitz was appointed Fleet Admiral. On September 2, 1945, he signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender aboard USS Missouri as the representative of the United States.
After the war, Nimitz served as Chief of Naval Operations and continued to advise military and civilian leaders. Although he could have been buried at Arlington National Cemetery, he chose Golden Gate, where several officers who served with him also rest.
His white marble marker resembles the thousands surrounding it except for one quiet detail: where most headstones bear an emblem of belief, his bears the five stars of a Fleet Admiral.
THE FIVE-STAR RANK
Only nine Americans have held a five-star rank. The grades were created during World War II so senior American commanders would rank equally with their Allied counterparts.
Fleet Admirals: William D. Leahy, Ernest J. King, Chester W. Nimitz, and William F. Halsey Jr.
Generals of the Army: George C. Marshall, Douglas MacArthur, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Henry H. Arnold, and Omar N. Bradley.
No American has been promoted to a five-star rank since General Bradley in 1950.
WHY THIS CACHE
When I first discovered Admiral Nimitz's grave, I was struck by how easily it could be overlooked. Surrounded by thousands of similar white headstones, only five small stars distinguish it from the others. That simple detail tells an extraordinary story.
My hope is that this cache encourages visitors to slow down, notice what others might miss, and leave with a deeper appreciation for Fleet Admiral Nimitz and all the men and women who rest nearby.
Since this cache was placed in 2003, geocachers from around the world have made this quiet pilgrimage. Thank you for helping preserve the history, honor, and dignity of this remarkable place.
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