Burial at Georgia National Cemetery: A family guide

History of Georgia National Cemetery

Georgia National Cemetery is the second national cemetery in Georgia and the 123rd in the national cemetery system. A private citizen donated the 775-acre site to the National Cemetery Administration in 2001. At maximum capacity, 330 acres of the site will be developed for burials; the remainder of the site is too steep to be used for interments. Historically, the site was used for logging purposes and as a hunting ground for local residents.

Georgia National Cemetery is located near the site of the Etowah burial mounds, created by American Indians of the Mississippian culture between AD 1000–1550. This site is one of the largest American Indian burial mounds in North America. Archaeological investigations have been conducted on Etowah mounds for over one hundred years.

Georgia National Cemetery opened for burials in 2006, and was formally dedicated on June 4 of that year.

Notable veterans buried at Georgia National Cemetery

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

• Joseph "Max" Cleland (1942–2021) was born in Atlanta, Georgia on August 24, 1942. He was an outstanding student athlete who was drawn to public service. He earned a B.A. from Stetson university and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Army through its ROTC program. He earned an M.A. in history from Emory University. Cleland volunteered for service during the height of the Vietnam War in 1967. He lost both legs and his right arm when a grenade detonated beside him during a mission near Khe Sanh in April 1968. Cleland overcame his physical and mental wounds. He was elected as the youngest member of the Georgia senate in 1970 at age 34. President Jimmy Carter appointed him to head the Veterans Administration in 1977. Addressing Veteran's mental health was a key focus of his tenure. Cleland became Georgia's Secretary of State in 1982 and held that office for 12 years. He was elected to the U.S. Senate (Ga.-D) in 1996 and served one term. He was appointed to the 9-11 Commission in 2002. In 2009 President Barack Obama appointed him Secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission. He was appointed Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Arlington National Cemetery in 2010. Cleland's career was devoted to Veterans issues and honoring their memory. He was instrumental in bringing Georgia National Cemetery to the state after Marietta closed to burials in the 1970s. He died November 9 and is interred in Section 6, Site 132, beside his father (a WWII Navy veteran) and mother.
• PFC Hood E. Cole (World War II). Cole (1925–1945) was from Atlanta, GA, and served with Company L, 3rd Battalion, 276th Infantry Regiment, 70th Infantry Division during World War II. On January 14, 1945, Cole's unit was attacked by German forces near Baerenthal, France. At some point during the fighting, Cole was killed, and due to the fighting, his body was unable to be immediately recovered. He was accounted for by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency on February 22, 2023 and now rests in Section 9, Site 792.
• Isabelle Daniels Holston (Olympic Athlete). Isabelle (1937–2017) was a sprinter, Olympian, educator, and coach. She grew up in Georgia and was a natural athlete, becoming a local track star before graduating from high school. Daniels distinguished herself at Tennessee State University and competed in the 1955 Pan American Games, winning a silver medal. She participated in the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, where she won the bronze medal in the 4 × 100 meters relay. She later became a P.E. teacher and coach, where she received numerous accolades, including National Coach of the Year in 1990. She was also inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame and the Hall of Fame of the Bob Hayes Invitational Track Meet in Jacksonville, Florida. She was married to Army veteran Rev. Sidney R. Holston, with whom she had four children. She passed away at the age of 80 and now rests in Section 11, Site 1285.
• Lonnie C. King, Jr. (1936–2019) was born in Georgia and spent his childhood with his grandfather, who was a sharecropper, circuit preacher, and member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. King then went to Atlanta and lived among the city's black institutions, such as Ebenezer Baptist, where Martin Luther King Sr. was the pastor, and the Butler Street YMCA. He served in the U.S. Navy, 1954–1957, and afterward returned to Atlanta and graduated from Morehouse College. By 1960 he was leading peaceful demonstrations and organizing sit-ins in local restaurants to end segregation in the city. He was a force behind the March 9, 1960, "Appeal for Human Rights," and remained a civil rights advocate throughout his life. King died March 5 and is buried in Georgia National Cemetery, Section 2, Site 1755.
• CPL Anthony Konze (Korean War.) Konze (1930–1950) was from Brooklyn, NY, and served with Company C, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division during the Korean War. He was reported missing in action on September 1 in the vicinity of Changyong in the Republic of Korea and a finding of death was issued for him on May 7, 1954. He was accounted for by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency on December 18, 2024 and his remains are interred in Section 9, Site 512.
• LCPL Squire K. Wells (Persian Gulf). "Skip" Wells (1994–2015), the son of a Marine, was from Marietta, GA, and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 2014. According to family and friends, he had a love of flag football and U.S. history and dreamed of becoming a drill sergeant someday. Wells was assigned to M Battery, 5th Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve in Chattanooga, TN, and was one of five servicemembers killed during an act of domestic terrorism on July 16, 2015. He rests in Section 2, Site 2541.

Eligibility for burial at Georgia 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. 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 Georgia 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 Georgia National Cemetery at the assigned time. The cemetery handles opening, closing, and perpetual care from that point.

Where Georgia National Cemetery sits in the Georgia cemetery system

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