Burial at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery: A family guide

History of Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery

Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery is located on the Fort Rosecrans Military Reservation, 10 miles west of San Diego, California. The hilly peninsula offers picturesque vistas to the city, bay, and Pacific Ocean. It was one of seven national cemeteries created between world wars, 1934–1939. It was the Army's first major expansion since the Civil War directed at serving a growing Veteran population and the rapidly depleting burial space at existing national cemeteries. Unlike previous new cemeteries, locations were based on Veterans' places of residence, especially in or near large cities. New cemetery locations were based on Veterans' places of residence. The other interwar national cemeteries are Baltimore, Maryland; Fort Bliss and Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Fort Snelling, Minnesota; Golden Gate, California; and Long Island, New York.

The Point Loma peninsula has held military importance dating to Spanish control of the region. While the Spanish Empire identified the area as potentially strategically important in the mid-1500s, a permanent settlement was not established here until the mid-1700s — to counter expansion of the Russian Empire into Alaska and the Pacific Coast. A presidio and mission in present-day Old Town San Diego were among the initial Spanish construction. Mexico won its independence from Spain and claimed the territory in 1821.

During the Mexican-American War (1846–1848), Brigadier Stephen Watts Kearny was tasked with conquering Mexico's northern provinces, New Mexico, and California. On December 6–7, 1846, his joint U.S. military force engaged a group of Californios (Mexican colonists born in California) in the Battle of San Pasqual, about 30 miles north of San Diego. Eighteen of Kearny's men fell in the battle, but his forces held the field. The dead were buried where they fell, but by 1874 the remains were removed to the San Diego Military Reservation. Eight years later they were reinterred at what is now Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. In 1922, the San Diego chapter of the Native Sons and Daughters of the Golden West had a large boulder brought from the battlefield and placed at the gravesite with a plaque that lists the names of the dead.

Soon after San Pasqual, the U.S. military fortified the San Diego Mission as a post. In 1850, California joined the Union as a state. Disputes between the War Department and city of San Diego over Point Loma prevented the construction of a military installation there until the late 1860s. A permanent, habitable, fort was not completed until the Spanish American War (1898–1902) forced the issue in February 1898. The fort was named for Civil War General William Starke Rosecrans in 1899.

Notable veterans buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery

The National Cemetery Administration documents the following veterans of note buried at Fort Rosecrans 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:
• Commander Charles Francis Bishop (Mexican Campaign). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Navy on board the USS Florida for actions during the seizure of Vera Cruz, April 21, 1914. Bishop died in 1954 and is buried in Section O, Site 4562.
• Captain Willis Winter Bradley, Jr. (World War I). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Navy on board the USS Pittsburgh for actions at the time of an explosion on the vessel, July 23, 1917. Bradley died in 1954 and is buried in Section O, Site 2925.
• Major Mason Carter (Indian Wars). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, 5th U.S. Infantry, for actions at Bear Paw Mountain, Montana Territory, September 30, 1877. Carter died in 1909 and is buried in Section PS-4, Site 102.
• Staff Sergeant Peter S. Connor (Vietnam). He received the Medal of Honor posthumously for service in the U.S. Marine Corps, Company F, 2nd Battalion, 3d Marines, 1st Marine Division, in recognition of gallantry and self-sacrifice in Quang Ngai Province, Republic of Vietnam, February 25, 1966. Connor is buried in Section A-E, Site 1005.
• Lieutenant Commander William "Willie" S. Cronan. He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Navy on board the USS Bennington for extraordinary heroism when a boiler exploded on the vessel at San Diego, California, July 21, 1905. Cronan died in 1959 and is buried in Section T, Site 534.
• Lieutenant Junior Grade Albert L. David (World War II). He received the Medal of Honor posthumously for his service in the U.S. Navy in recognition of actions while attached to the USS Pillsbury during the capture of a German submarine off French West Africa, June 4, 1944. David died in 1945 and is buried in Section OS, Site 125-A.

Eligibility for burial at Fort Rosecrans 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 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Closed federal holidays except Memorial Day.

How to schedule a burial at Fort Rosecrans 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 Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery at the assigned time. The cemetery handles opening, closing, and perpetual care from that point.

Where Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery sits in the California cemetery system

Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery is one of the veteran cemeteries operating in California. The cemetery is currently closed to new in-ground burials but may accept cremated remains in some cases. Families should verify status before planning.

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