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VA National Cemetery

Fort Missoula Post Cemetery

3210 Guardsman Lane · Missoula, MT 59804

Closed to new in-ground burials

Fort Missoula Post Cemetery is a VA national cemetery in Missoula, Montana. VA lists it as closed to new burials. Burial is free for eligible veterans, their spouses and dependent children.

Source: National Cemetery Administration (cem.va.gov), retrieved May 2026

History of Fort Missoula Post Cemetery

The U.S. Army established Fort Missoula in 1877 to guard the Bitterroot Valley in the Montana Territory after years of petitioning from local citizenry for military presence. The post cemetery was established the following year. The cemetery occupies 1.24 acres and is the oldest active burial ground in Missoula, with interments from all U.S conflicts from the Civil War to Vietnam. The fort saw significant activity from 1933 through World War II. From 1933–1942, Fort Missoula served as the Rocky Mountain Regional Civilian Conservation Corps' administrative center, the largest CCC headquarters in the country. During World War II, it was the Immigration and Naturalization Service's largest internment camp for non-military foreign and native persons, primarily Italian nationals and Japanese Americans.

The first recorded burial at the post cemetery was Pvt. William Gericke who died September 26, 1878. Two Medal of Honor recipients from the Indian Wars (1865–1891) are interred here: Corporal Harry Garland and Private Michael Himmelsback. A large number of graves are African Americans who served in the 24th and 25th Infantry regiments, which were garrisoned there from the late 1800s into the early 1900s. Thirty-six remains were reinterred in Fort Missoula following the closure of Fort Ellis, near Bozeman, in 1886. Several women, wives of officers and senior sergeants, are buried in the cemetery, as are more than 50 children who lived at the fort. The cemetery is closed to burials other than those of Veterans or eligible dependents in existing gravesites. Fort Missoula was formally decommissioned in 2001 and the Army transferred the post cemetery to NCA on October 16, 2019. Fort Missoula Post Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987 as a contributing feature of a larger Army post district.

Notable interments

The National Cemetery Administration lists these people of note buried at Fort Missoula Post Cemetery, with section and site where recorded.

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:

Corporal Harry Garland (Indian Wars) was born in 1844 in Boston, MA.

He fought with the 2nd U.S. Cavalry and was part of post-Little Bighorn operations against Native Americans in the region. He received the Medal of Honor for gallantry in action in two separate engagements. The first was against Lakota Chief Lame Deer at Little Muddy Creek, MT, on May 7, 1877. The second was against the Nez Perce at Camas Meadows, ID, on August 20, 1877. In this event, Garland was shot through the left hip and was left unable to stand. He never fully recovered from his wounds and received a warrant promotion to Hospital Steward at Fort Ellis, assuming this duty in December 1878. He died May 21, 1883 and was buried at Fort Ellis. When the hospital closed in 1886 his remains were moved to Fort Missoula .

Section B, Site 13

Private Michael Himmelsback (Indian Wars) was born in 1849 in Allegheny County, PA.

He fought in Co. C, 2nd U.S. Cavalry. Himmelsback received the Medal of Honor for gallantry in action at Little Blue, NE, on May 17, 1870. In this engagement, Himmelsback was part of a five-man detachment sent to recover stray horses. The party was attacked by a large group of Native Americans and all their horses were killed. The party held off their attackers and withdrew by foot, rescuing a party of settlers, two women and two children, in the process. Himmelsback died of kidney disease at Fort Ellis Hospital, Montana, on January 5, 1881. When the hospital closed in 1886 his remains were moved to Fort Missoula .

Section B, Site 15

Other Burials U.S.

Army Major General Frank William Milburn served in World War I, World War II and the Korean War. He was a decorated hero, receiving numerous valor awards. He later served as the Athletic Director at Montana State University.

Directions

Follow Aviation Way to W Broadway St/U.S. Highway 10 W, Head northeast on Johnson Bell Dr toward W Broadway St/U.S. Highway 10 W. Make a U-turn at W Broadway St/U.S. Highway 10 W. Turn left at the 1st cross street onto Aviation Way. Turn left to stay on Aviation Way. Turn left to stay on Aviation Way. Take US-93 S/N Reserve St to South Ave W in Missoula. Turn right onto W Broadway St/U.S. Highway 10 W. Turn right to merge onto US-93 S/N Reserve St toward S Reserve St. Continue on South Ave W. Drive to CCC Rd/Guardsman Ln. Turn right onto South Ave W. Turn left onto CCC Rd/Guardsman Ln.

Flowers and grounds rules

Cemetery policies are conspicuously posted on the property and readily visible to the public.

Pets are not allowed in Cemetery. (Trained Service dogs only)

Who can be buried at Fort Missoula Post 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 Missoula Post 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 Missoula Post Cemetery and a date. National cemeteries hold burials Monday through Friday.

VA lists Fort Missoula Post Cemetery as closed. Ask the scheduling office what, if anything, can still be arranged here, and about open national cemeteries nearby.

Where is the Fort Missoula Post Cemetery burial schedule?

VA posts a daily burial schedule for every national cemetery. Search it for Fort Missoula Post 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 Missoula Post Cemetery directly at 303-761-0117.

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 Montana law; our sister site ProbateUS explains how probate works in Montana 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.

Nearest cemeteries

The three veterans cemeteries closest to Fort Missoula Post Cemetery, by straight-line distance:

Funeral homes near Fort Missoula Post 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. 1.8 mi from the cemetery
  2. Garden City Funeral Home and Crematory
    Missoula, MTMilitary honors services
    3.4 mi from the cemetery
  3. 3.5 mi from the cemetery
  4. 9.4 mi from the cemetery
  5. 9.4 mi from the cemetery
  6. Whitesitt Funeral Home
    Stevensville, MT
    22.6 mi from the cemetery

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