Burial at Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery: A family guide

History of Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery

Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery is the sixth national cemetery in Texas and the 118th in the national cemetery system.

Currently, more than 1.5 million veterans live in the state of Texas and approximately 460,000 reside in the cemetery's service area. The Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery has developed 152 acres of the 638-acre cemetery providing 85,778 casketed sites and 31,918 columbaria/garden niches for cremated remains. Fully developed, Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery will provide burial space for 280,000 eligible veterans and dependents.

Monuments and Memorials Dallas-Ft. Worth National Cemetery features a memorial walkway lined with a variety of memorials that honor America's veterans, donated by various organizations. As of 2011, there were 54 memorials at Dallas-Ft. Worth National Cemetery — most commemorating events and troops of the 20th century wars.

Notable veterans buried at Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery

The National Cemetery Administration documents the following veterans of note buried at Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery, listed by section and site as recorded in the cemetery's official register.

• Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force that can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States. Recipients receive the Medal of Honor from the President on behalf of Congress. It was first awarded during the Civil War and the eligibility criteria, medal design, and recognition on a recipients' grave marker have all evolved over time. There are 434 Medal of Honor recipients interred at VA national cemeteries including 6 double recipients.
• » Medal of Honor recipients interred or memorialized here:
• Sergeant Candelario Garcia (Vietnam). Candelario Garcia, a native of Texas, enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1963, and was assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, also referred to as the Big Red One during the Vietnam War. On March 14, 2014, Sergeant Garcia received the Medal of Honor, posthumously, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above the call of duty. While acting as team leader, Garcia initiated an attempt to aid wounded comrades and opened himself to enemy fire. He eliminated two enemy machine-gun positions on December 8, 1968 near Lai Khe, Republic of Vietnam. Garcia died January 10, 2013, and is buried in Section 107, Site 209.
• Colonel James L. Stone (Korea). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company E, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, for actions near Sokkogae, Korea, on November 21–22, 1951. Stone died in 2012 and is buried in Section 76, Site 1658L.
• Other Burials Cloyde Pinson, Sr., Founder of the Texas National Cemetery Foundation (Section 76, Site 1702B).
• Private First Class William Blair Jr. was born in 1921 in Dallas. He served in the army, and it is said he was the youngest African American to serve as first sergeant in World War II. In 1946 he pitched on Negro League baseball teams the Indianapolis Clowns and Detroit Stars. In 1949, he founded Southwest Sports News, which published college athletics nationwide. Later it was reformatted to become Elite News, with a focus on political, social and economic topics important to the North Texas black community. For his athletic, journalistic, and civil rights accomplishments, the City of Dallas renamed Rochester Park "William 'Bill' Blair Jr. Park" in 2011. Blair donated his business papers and Negro League memorabilia to the University of Texas at Arlington. He died April 20, 2014, and is buried at Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery (Section 91, Site 585).
• Bobbie Joe Cavnar was the 22-year-old pilot of the big four-engine Douglas C-54 that rescued a stranded crew of the wrecked B-29 "Kee Bird" from the far northwest tip of Greenland in February 1947. Cavnar landed his transport plane on a small frozen glacial lake near the wreck. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions and personally congratulated by President Harry S. Truman. He retired from the Air Force as a Colonel in 1964. (Section 11, Site 99).
• Gunner's Mate Third Class Glenn Edward McDuffie served in the Navy during World War II and he claimed to be the American sailor kissing a nurse in the famous Life magazine image "V-J Day in Times Square" by photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt. After the war McDuffie became a mail carrier and semi-professional baseball player. Several years before McDuffie died, Houston Police Department forensic artist Lois Gibson confirmed that McDuffie was the famous kissing sailor. He died March 9, 2014, and is buried at Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery (Section 178, Site 281).

Eligibility for burial at Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery

Planning ahead for a Veteran's or loved-one's final resting place can eliminate unnecessary delays and reduce stress on a family at a difficult time.

The Department of Veterans Affairs covers the grave plot, opening and closing of the grave, perpetual care, a government-furnished headstone or marker, and a U.S. burial flag at no cost to eligible families.

Visiting hours

Visitation Hours: Open daily from sunrise to sunset. Office Hours: Monday thru Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Please contact the office for holiday closings. VA will continue its practice of honoring special requests for weekend burials for religious purposes, in cases of service members killed in action and on at least one day of any three-day Federal holiday weekend at all open VA national cemeteries.

How to schedule a burial at Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery

1. The funeral home or family contacts the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 1-800-535-1117 (24/7 for active funeral arrangements).
2. Provide the veteran's full name, date of birth, social security number, dates of service, branch, and date of death.
3. Fax or email the DD-214 to the cemetery's interment office for verification.
4. Once eligibility is confirmed (typically 30–60 minutes for complete documentation), the cemetery assigns a date, time, and committal shelter.
5. The funeral home transports the deceased to Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery at the assigned time. The cemetery handles opening, closing, and perpetual care from that point.

Where Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery sits in the Texas cemetery system

Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery is one of the veteran cemeteries operating in Texas. The cemetery is currently accepting new in-ground and columbarium interments. Families should verify status before planning.

For families considering alternatives, the nearest veteran cemeteries appear in our cemetery sidebar. If Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery is fully reserved, those alternatives are typically the next options.