Burial at Miramar National Cemetery: A family guide

History of Miramar National Cemetery

San Diego Bay was the location of the first permanent European settlement on the West Coast of the United States due to its natural advantages as a protected harbor. In 1769, Gaspar de Portola, a Spanish Army soldier, established the Presidio of San Diego; Father Junipero Serra founded the San Diego de Alcala Mission. Both were located in the city's present-day Old Town neighborhood, approximately four miles north of the harbor.

San Diego served as a base of operations for the Spanish to colonize the territory of Alta California. New Spain's most remote territory was the southern terminus of El Camino Real, the trail connecting 21 missions.

San Diego grew slowly. The settlement was far removed from Mexican War of Independence (1810–1821) hostilities, in which Spain lost to the newly independent country. Under Mexican rule, San Diego's population gradually increased as the central government encouraged immigration to frontier lands.

During the Mexican-American War (1846–1848), a handful of small battles were fought in Southern California. On December 6–7, 1846, a combined U.S. force of soldiers, sailors, and marines under the command of General Stephen Kearny engaged a small group of Californios (Mexican colonists) in the Battle of San Pasqual, about 30 miles north of San Diego. Eighteen of Kearny's men fell in the battle, but U.S. forces managed to hold the field and win the war. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed in February 1848, established the border between the two countries 15 miles south of San Diego. California became a state two years later.

Notable veterans buried at Miramar National Cemetery

The National Cemetery Administration documents the following veterans of note buried at Miramar 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 Charles Schroeter (Indian Wars). German-born Charles Schroeter immigrated to the United States in 1860 and became a career soldier. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1863 during the Civil War and served in the 1st Missouri Volunteer Cavalry. Private Schroeter reenlisted in the 8th Cavalry in 1866 and his regiment was posted to Camp Whipple, Arizona Territory. He received the Medal of Honor for gallantry in action in the Chiricahua Mountains on October 20, 1869. Discharged from the cavalry in 1871, he then served a five-year tour with the 1st U.S. Infantry before joining the Marine Corps (1876–1881) and attaining the rank of corporal. The unmarried Sergeant Schroeter retired in 1894. He moved to Buffalo, NY, operating a tobacco and candy store, then to San Diego, CA, where he died in 1921. The masonic lodge there held a memorial service for him, but Schroeter's remains were unclaimed for ninety-four years. He was buried on July 9, 2015, in Section 3, Site 1052.
• Other Burials Helen-Louise Brooks (1918–2013) was born in Lowell, MA. After high school she worked for the National Health Service until old enough to join the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps in 1944 for the end of World War II. She remained in the Reserves and earned a B.A. in nursing from Boston University. She returned to active duty for the Korean War and served as the operating room supervisor aboard USS Consolation (AH 15). After Korea she earned an M.A. from Columbia University. From 1968–1969 of the Vietnam War she was chief nurse, Naval Support Activity Hospital Danang, and earned the Legion of Merit with combat "V." She ended her Navy career in 1971 as a captain. Before retiring to San Diego, she directed health bureau nursing services in the Canal Zone. Brooks died April 26, 2013 and is interred at Miramar National Cemetery (Section 12, Site 628).
• Kathleen Bruyere (Vietnam, Persian Gulf). Bruyere was born in Norfolk, VA in 1944 to an Army family. She graduated from Chestnut Hill College in Pennsylvania in 1966 and joined the U.S. Navy. She broke precedent and remained on active duty in 1968 after marrying a fellow Navy officer. By 1975 she held the rank of lieutenant commander and was the first female officer to serve as a flag secretary to an Admiral commanding an operational staff. She was named to Time magazine's person of the year in 1975 and featured on the cover. Bruyere was one of six female officers to sue the Navy and Secretary of Defense in 1977 arguing that the 1948 Women's Armed Service's Integration Act prohibiting women to serve at sea on ships limited their prospects for promotion. The law was ruled unconstitutional in 1978. This cleared the way for women to serve at sea. Bruyere never served on a combatant ship, but was promoted to captain and served as the special assistant to the Chief of Naval Operations for women's policy and worked to continually improve career opportunities for women in the Navy. In 1991 she took command of the Naval Training Center in Orlando. She retired from the Navy in 1994. In retirement she cared for her second husband who had Parkinson's disease, and volunteered many years at Miramar National Cemetery.
• CDR Randall H. Cunningham (Vietnam). "Duke" Cunningham (1941–2025) was born in Los Angeles one day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1967 and served in Vietnam, where he and his navigator became the only Navy aces of the entire war. After he returned from Vietnam in 1972, Cunningham became an instructor at the U.S. Navy's Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) at Naval Air Station Miramar. He retired at the rank of Commander in 1987. A member of the Republican Party, Cunningham represented three California districts in the United States House of Representatives from 1991 to 2005. Section T, Row 4, Site 247.
• Lee R. Scherer, Jr., received a commission from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1942 and in World War II flew aircraft carrier-based fighter planes. He first worked with NASA in the 1960s while on active duty with the U.S. Navy. He retired from military service with the rank of captain in 1964. Trained as an aeronautical engineer, Scherer was director of NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in 1971–1975, and subsequently became director of the Kennedy Space Center. He managed the unmanned Lunar Orbiter Program from inception to completion in 1967, and the scientific aspects of lunar explorations during the Apollo Program, 1968–1972. Scherer died May 7, 2011 (Section 7, Site 186).
• Dave Severance was born in Milwaukee, WI, in 1919 and died 102 years later in La Jolla, CA. In between those two events he served in three wars as a Marine Corps officer. Severance was most famous for his service as commander of Easy Co., 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines on Iwo Jima. During that battle, Captain Severance ordered his 3rd Platoon and 12 Marines from the Weapons Platoon up the slopes of Mount Suribachi to seize the crest. There, on February 23, 1944, they raised the first flag at the summit, followed shortly thereafter by the raising of a second, larger, flag. It was this second flag raising which was recorded by AP photographer Joe Rosenthal and which became the most iconic photo of the U.S. war in the Pacific. Severance earned the Silver Star for his heroism on Iwo Jima. He served in the occupation of Japan after the war and attended flight training. During the Korean War he flew 69 combat missions and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and 4 Air Medals. Severance also served during the Vietnam War before retiring in 1968.

Eligibility for burial at Miramar 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. 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. NCA will assess adding other options and national cemeteries in the future.

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

Where Miramar National Cemetery sits in the California cemetery system

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