Burial at Florida National Cemetery: A family guide

History of Florida National Cemetery

Florida National Cemetery is located in the Withlacoochee State Forest, approximately 50 miles north of Tampa in Sumter County, FL. Withlacoochee State Forest was acquired by the federal government from private landowners between 1936 and 1939 under the provisions of the U.S. Land Resettlement Administration. The U.S. Forest Service managed the property until a lease-purchase agreement transferred it to the Florida Board of Forestry in 1958. Currently, Withlacoochee State Forest is the second-largest state forest in Florida, divided into eight distinct tracts of land.

In 1842, Congress encouraged settlement here by establishing the Armed Occupation Act. The law granted a patent for 160 acres to any man who kept a gun and ammunition, built a house, cultivated five acres of the land and remained there for at least five years. Settlers moved in to take advantage of the generous offer. The area contained abundant timber and suitable farmland, appealing attributes to frontiersmen. In 1845 Florida was granted statehood.

During the Civil War, a sugar mill on the Homosassa River supplied sugar to the Confederacy. A robust citrus-growing industry developed in the eastern part of the area and became a focus of intense economic expansion soon after the war.

In 1980, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced that it would establish a new national cemetery in Florida, its fourth. Two major locations for the cemetery were studied: Cross Florida Barge Canal and Withlacoochee State Forest. The Withlacoochee site, though more environmentally sensitive, was supported by government officials. On February 15, 1983, the state transferred land to the VA for the development of a Florida National Cemetery. The first interment was in 1988.

Notable veterans buried at Florida National Cemetery

The National Cemetery Administration documents the following veterans of note buried at Florida 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:
• Master Chief Hospital Corpsman William Richard Charette (Korea). Born in Michigan in 1932, William Richard Charette enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1951, trained as a hospital corpsman, and went to Korea with the 1st Marine Division in 1953. A career sailor, Charette received the Medal of Honor for actions during a counterattack on "Vegas Hill" on March 27. He tended to the wounded, gave his battle vest to another soldier, and exposed himself to enemy fire to save others. In 1958, on board the U.S.S. Canberra, he selected the remains of an unknown World War II serviceman to be interred in Arlington National Cemetery. Charette retired in 1977. The health center at the Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, Virginia, is named for him. He died March 18, 2012, and is buried in Section 104, Site 173.
• Corporal Duane Edgar Dewey (Korea). Born on November 16, 1931 in Grand Rapids, MI, Dewey enlisted with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and embarked to Korea in 1951. Corporal Dewey was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on April 16, 1952, while serving as a gunner in a machine-gun platoon of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division (Reinforced), in action against enemy forces near Panmunjom. When an enemy grenade landed close to his position while he and his assistant gunner were receiving medical attention for their wounds during a fierce night attack by numerically superior hostile forces, Dewey, although suffering intense pain, immediately pulled the corpsman to the ground and, shouting a warning to the other Marines around him, covered the grenade with his body. He absorbed the full force of the explosion to save his comrades from possible injury or death. Corporal Dewey died on October 11, 2021, and is interred in Section MOH, Site 2.
• Master Sergeant James R. Hendrix (World War II). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company C, 53rd Armored Infantry Battalion, 4th Armored Division, for actions near Assenois, Belgium, December 26, 1944. Hendrix died in 2002 and is buried in Section MOH, Site 1.
• Sergeant Major Franklin D. Miller (Vietnam). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, 5th Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces, for actions in the Kontum Province, Republic of Vietnam, January 5, 1970. Miller died in 2000 and is memorialized in Section ML, Site 1.
• Other Burials Major David Moniac, (2nd Seminole War) LT 6th U.S. Infantry Alabama Mounted Creek Volunteers, First Native American Graduate USMA Class of 1822, KIA Wahoo Swamp, December 25, 1802–November 21, 1836 (Section MD, Site 1).
• First Lieutenant Thomas Buchanan (Civil War), October 7, 1825–June 13, 1863 (Section MD, Site 39 ).

Eligibility for burial at Florida 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. Closed federal holidays except Memorial Day and Veterans Day. 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 Florida 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 Florida National Cemetery at the assigned time. The cemetery handles opening, closing, and perpetual care from that point.

Where Florida National Cemetery sits in the Florida cemetery system

Florida National Cemetery is one of the veteran cemeteries operating in Florida. 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 Florida National Cemetery is fully reserved, those alternatives are typically the next options.