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VA National Cemeteries

Fort Jackson National Cemetery burial schedule and eligibility

Columbia, South Carolina · VA national cemetery

Address, hours, directions and contact details: Fort Jackson National Cemetery.

VeteranFunerals Editorial·3 min read·May 1, 2026·Facts checked

You can look up burials at Fort Jackson National Cemetery on VA's daily burial schedule, which lists the committal services families have agreed to publish. Veterans who were not dishonorably discharged can be buried here, and so can their spouses and some dependent children. To schedule a burial, you or the funeral director call VA's National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 800-535-1117.

History of Fort Jackson National Cemetery

Columbia, SC, is located at the confluence of the Saluda and Broad rivers, which merge to form the Congaree. Due to its central location, the South Carolina General Assembly chose this site in 1786 for the new capitol. The state legislature first met in Columbia in 1790.

As a regional transportation hub, Columbia grew rapidly during the antebellum period. Area farmers brought cotton, tobacco, and other agricultural products destined for other U.S. cities and Europe to the city, to be transported by rail to the port of Charleston.

South Carolina in the late 1850s was a hotbed of secessionist sentiment, which escalated into full-throated calls to leave the Union after Abraham Lincoln was elected president in November 1860. On December 17, the First Baptist Church in Columbia hosted the South Carolina Secession Convention. By unanimous vote, South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union.

Columbia was a Confederate stronghold until the final months of the Civil War. After the famous "March to the Sea" in late 1864, Union General William Tecumseh Sherman moved his troops north from Savannah, GA, toward Columbia. The city was defended by a small Confederate force under the command of Lieutenant General Wade Hampton III, a Columbia native. As the Union Army approached on February 17, 1865, retreating Confederates set stockpiles of cotton ablaze. Small groups of Union soldiers began to loot, vandalize, and start other fires, and soon much of Columbia was consumed in the conflagration.

Notable veterans buried at Fort Jackson National Cemetery

The National Cemetery Administration lists these people of note at Fort Jackson National Cemetery, with section and site where it has them.

  • 2nd Lieutenant William Henry Harth, Jr. (World War II). Harth (1921–1943) served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II and was killed in action. He was memorialized in the Florence American cemetery in Italy on the wall of the missing before his remains were located, identified, and he was interred at Fort Jackson National Cemetery. He died in August 1943, was brought back to the United States in 2018. (Section 1, Site 1)
  • Lieutenant General Ellie "Buck" Shuler, Jr. (Vietnam). Schuler (1936–2024) was a command pilot with more than 7,500 flying hours, including 209 combat hours accrued during the Vietnam War. He was promoted to lieutenant general March 23, 1988, with same date of rank and has earned Command Pilot Wings, Master Missile Badge, Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with five Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Air Force Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster. (Section 12, Site 76)

Visiting hours at Fort Jackson National Cemetery

Visitation Hours: Open daily from sunrise to sunset. Office Hours: Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Closed federal holidays. 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.

Who can be buried at Fort Jackson National Cemetery?

VA national cemeteries accept a veteran who didn't receive a dishonorable discharge, a service member who died on active duty or in training, the veteran's spouse or surviving spouse (even if they remarried), and minor or, in some cases, unmarried adult dependent children. National Guard and Reserve members qualify under narrower rules. You can ask VA for a pre-need eligibility decision in advance; it does not reserve a gravesite.

What does burial here include at no cost?

  • A gravesite in any VA national cemetery with available space
  • Opening and closing of the grave
  • A government-provided burial liner
  • A government-provided headstone or marker
  • Perpetual care of the gravesite

Veterans also receive a burial flag, a Presidential Memorial Certificate (presented to the next of kin at the burial) and military funeral honors, which include the playing of Taps and two uniformed service members who present the flag. The committal service is held at a committal shelter, not at the grave, and lasts about 20 minutes. National cemeteries have no viewing facilities, so the funeral itself is held elsewhere.

How do you schedule a burial at Fort Jackson National Cemetery?

  1. Gather the veteran's DD214 or other discharge papers, and the deceased's details (Social Security number, dates of birth and death, relationship to the veteran).
  2. Fax the discharge papers to the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 866-900-6417, or email them to [email protected] with the deceased's name in the subject line.
  3. You or the funeral director call 800-535-1117 (Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET) to request Fort Jackson National Cemetery and a date. National cemeteries hold burials Monday through Friday.

Where is the Fort Jackson National Cemetery burial schedule?

VA posts a daily burial schedule for every national cemetery. Search it for Fort Jackson National Cemetery to see the committal services planned there. It only lists burials whose families agreed to publish them. To change or cancel a burial that's already scheduled, contact Fort Jackson National Cemetery directly at 866-577-5248.

Headstone, flag and burial allowance

  • Government headstone or marker: tell the scheduling office which headstone, marker, niche cover or medallion you want when you schedule the burial.
  • Burial flag: VA Form 27-2008.
  • Burial allowance: For a non-service-connected death on or after October 1, 2026, VA pays up to $1,032 toward burial and funeral costs and $1,032 for a plot; for a service-connected death on or after September 11, 2001, the burial allowance is up to $2,000. Claim it with VA Form 21P-530EZ. All benefits

After the funeral: survivor benefits and the estate

A surviving spouse, child or parent may qualify for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), a tax-free monthly VA benefit, for example when the death was service connected (VA Form 21P-534EZ). The veteran's estate is settled under South Carolina law; our sister site ProbateUS explains how probate works in South Carolina and lists each county's probate court. For the rest of the paperwork, from Social Security to bank accounts, DeathUS has a step-by-step checklist of what to do when someone dies.

Funeral homes near Fort Jackson National Cemetery

A funeral director usually arranges the burial with the cemetery. These are the closest funeral homes by straight-line distance. Each one links to its full listing on FuneralUS, our funeral home directory.

  1. 4.0 mi from the cemetery
  2. 4.8 mi from the cemetery
  3. JP Holley Funeral Home
    Bishopville, SC
    5.7 mi from the cemetery
  4. 10.4 mi from the cemetery
  5. 10.8 mi from the cemetery
  6. 10.8 mi from the cemetery

Search all funeral homes by ZIP on FuneralUS

FAQ

Questions about burial at Fort Jackson National Cemetery

  • Is burial at Fort Jackson National Cemetery free?

    Yes, for eligible veterans, spouses and dependent children. VA provides the gravesite, opening and closing of the grave, a burial liner, a headstone or marker, and perpetual care at no cost. The funeral home's services, such as transport and any service before the burial, are arranged and paid for separately.

  • Can I reserve a gravesite at Fort Jackson National Cemetery in advance?

    No. You can ask VA for a pre-need eligibility decision before a death, but VA says the decision letter doesn't name a cemetery or gravesite, because neither can be reserved in advance.

  • How do I schedule a burial at Fort Jackson National Cemetery?

    Fax the veteran's discharge papers to 866-900-6417 or email them to [email protected]. Then you or the funeral director call the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 800-535-1117 (Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET). National cemeteries hold burials Monday through Friday.

  • Where can I see the burial schedule for Fort Jackson National Cemetery?

    On VA's daily burial schedule at https://www.cem.va.gov/cem/dailyburialschedule/. It covers every national cemetery, but it only lists burials whose families agreed to publish them.

  • Are military funeral honors provided at Fort Jackson National Cemetery?

    Yes, if you ask for them. Your funeral director, a Veterans Service Organization or the cemetery staff can arrange them. At minimum, two uniformed service members fold and present the burial flag at the committal shelter, and Taps is played.

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