Fort Sill National Cemetery

Fort Sill National Cemetery is a VA national cemetery in Elgin, Oklahoma. VA lists it as open for 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 Sill National Cemetery

Fort Sill National Cemetery in Elgin, OK, was dedicated on November 2, 2001. The Fort Sill National Cemetery was the second national cemetery to be constructed in Oklahoma and became the 120th national cemetery to be administered by the National Cemetery Administration. Fort Sill National Cemetery lies in southwestern Oklahoma, approximately 75 miles from Oklahoma City and five miles north of Lawton. Land for the national cemetery was transferred from the Department of the Army's Ft. Sill Military Reservation in 1998.

The cemetery is situated on land that was once Indian Territory. A military reservation was staked out in January 1869 by Maj. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan and was formally established as Camp Wichita the following month. Sheridan later renamed the garrison as Fort Sill in honor of fellow West Point classmate, Brigadier General Joshua W. Sill, who died in the Battle of Stones' River during the Civil War. Fort Sill's mission was one of law enforcement for the expanding American frontier. The arrival of the Quohada Comanches to Fort Sill in June 1875 marked the end of Indian warfare of the south Plains.

In the 1890s, Apache Chief Geronimo and 341 other Apache prisoners of war were brought to Fort Sill by the government. Geronimo was granted permission to travel briefly with Pawnee Bill's Wild West Show and also visited with President Theodore Roosevelt. Geronimo died of pneumonia at Fort Sill on February 17, 1909, at the age of 83 and is buried in the post cemetery at Fort Sill. Lt. Hugh L. Scott instructed the remaining Apache prisoners of war on how to build houses, raise crops and herd cattle. Many spent the remainder of their lives at Fort Sill.

The last Native American lands in Oklahoma opened for settlement in 1901 and 29,000 homesteaders registered at Fort Sill for the land lottery during July. On August 6 of that year, the town of Lawton sprang up and quickly grew to become the third-largest city in Oklahoma. As of 2005, Lawton currently is the fourth largest city in Oklahoma, having fallen behind Norman in the last census. With the disappearance of the frontier, the mission of Fort Sill gradually changed from cavalry to field artillery. The first artillery battery arrived at Fort Sill in 1902 and the last cavalry regiment departed in May 1907.

The School of Fire for the Field Artillery was founded at Fort Sill in 1911 and continues to operate today as the world-renowned U.S. Army Field Artillery School. In 2007, the Fort Bliss Air Defense was added to Fort Sill, they both operate under one umbrella called the Fires Center of Excellence. At various times, Fort Sill has also served as home to the Infantry School of Musketry, the School for Aerial Observers, the Air Service Flying School and the Army Aviation School. Today the U.S. Army Field Artillery Center at Fort Sill remains the only active Army installation to continuously serve the Southern Plains since the Indian Wars.

Notable interments

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

Directions

From Lawton Airport: Travel north on 11th Street to Lee Boulevard. Go east on Lee Boulevard to Interstate 44. Take Interstate 44 towards Oklahoma City. Take Exit 46 (last free exit) to Elgin. Follow the road approximately four miles straight across and over the train tracks, pass Doleses's Rock/Stone quarry and continue to Porter Hill at the four-way intersection (blinking light). Turn right on Highway 277 North (Meers/Porter Hill Road). Approximately two miles (at the top of the hill) turn right onto Jake Dunn Road and travel approximately one mile to the cemetery's main entrance, which will be on the left.

Flowers and grounds rules

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

Floral arrangements accompanying the casket or urn at the time of burial will be placed on the completed grave. Natural cut flowers may be placed on graves at any time of the year. They will be removed when they become unsightly or when it becomes necessary to facilitate cemetery operations such as mowing.

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

Where is the Fort Sill National Cemetery burial schedule?

VA posts a daily burial schedule for every national cemetery. Search it for Fort Sill 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 Sill National Cemetery directly at 580-492-3200.

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 Oklahoma law; our sister site ProbateUS explains how probate works in Oklahoma 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 Sill National Cemetery, by straight-line distance:

• Seaman First Class Billy Turner Veterans Cemetery, Ardmore, OK: 80 mi, open for burials
• Seminole Nation and Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Wewoka, OK: 103 mi, open for burials
• White Eagle Cemetery, Ponca City, OK: 146 mi, open for burials