Golden Gate National Cemetery is a VA national cemetery in San Bruno, California. 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 Golden Gate National Cemetery
Golden Gate National Cemetery was one of seven national cemeteries established during the expansion of the National Cemetery System between the World Wars, specifically in 1934–1939. This first major expansion since the Civil War was due to an increased veteran population, combined with the rapidly depleting burial space at existing national cemeteries. Locations for the cemeteries were chosen primarily on the basis of where veterans lived. The other interwar cemeteries are Baltimore, Maryland; Fort Bliss and Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Fort Snelling, Minnesota; Fort Rosecrans, California; and Long Island, New York national cemeteries.
San Francisco National Cemetery, established in that city's Presidio in 1884 and in view of Golden Gate Bridge, was reaching capacity by the mid-1930s. In 1937 Congress authorized construction of a new national cemetery in the city's suburbs. San Bruno, 12 miles south, was selected. Instead of naming the cemetery after its location as was customary, Golden Gate was chosen; the misnomer has created confusion ever since. By the end of 1940, San Francisco National Cemetery was closed to burials.
The land occupied by Golden Gate National Cemetery originally belonged to a Native American group known as the "Buri Buri." The Spanish government acquired it around 1797. In 1827, the new Mexican government sold the land to José Antonio Sanchez, a decorated military officer known for his campaigns against Native tribes. His family retained the property after it became a U.S. territory, and by 1875 it was purchased by R.G. Sneath for a ranch. Thereafter it was sold to the Jersey Farm Company, which sold the approximately 162 acres to the federal government in 1938.
The U.S. Army Quartermaster began construction in June 1940 with assistance from the New Deal's Works Progress Administration (WPA), whose labor force graded the first four burial sections without heavy equipment. July 4, 1941 marked the cemetery's dedication, but the first three interments occurred on June 2, 1941. The cemetery has an L-shaped footprint with low-rolling hills interspersed with flat terrain features and a manmade mound that covers a reservoir where two large tracts intersect. The mound features a monumental flagpole circle and speaker's platform. The cemetery is distinguished by monumental entrance gates and a complex of buildings and structures built in a Mediterranean Revival style, completed in 1941. The symmetrical one-story granite buildings contain the administrative office, residential lodge, chapel, and maintenance functions. Golden Gate is one of seventy-eight VA national cemeteries that feature burial sections that use either upright headstones or flat grave markers.
In the early 1960s the cemetery started filling rapidly because large numbers of veterans from World War II, Korea, and eventually Vietnam were dying. Additionally, the cemetery's location as a major military port of embarkation meant it received many repatriated war dead from WWII through the Cold War. Original roadways in the cemetery were removed between 1962 and 1966 to accommodate the number of burials. However, the cemetery was at full capacity by 1966, decades sooner than anticipated. Attempts to expand the cemetery have failed.
Monuments and Memorials There are nineteen memorial objects at Golden Gate National Cemetery. Twelve of these are small, flat bronze plaques set adjacent to the speaker's platform on Circle Drive. These primarily circular plaques are evenly spaced within a rectangular platform lined by low concrete retaining walls.
Notable interments
The National Cemetery Administration lists these people of note buried at Golden Gate National 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:
Major Edward A.
Bennett (World War II). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company B, 358th Infantry, 90th Infantry Division, for actions near Heckhuscheid, Germany, February 1945. Bennett died in 1983 and is buried in Section 2B, Site 1071-A.
Master Sergeant Vito R.
Bertoldo (World War II). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company A, 242nd Infantry, 42nd Infantry Division, for actions near Hatten, France, January 9–10, 1945. Bertoldo died in 1966 and is buried in Section C, Site 52-A.
Lieutenant John Joseph Clausey.
He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Navy on board the U.S.S. Bennington for extraordinary heroism when a boiler exploded on the vessel at San Diego, CA, July 21, 1905. Clausey died in 1951 and is buried in Section C, Site 121-B.
Corporal John O.
Dahlgren (Boxer Rebellion). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps for actions during the battle of Peking, China, June 20–July 16, 1900. Dahlgren died in 1963 and is buried in Section Z, Site 1950.
First Lieutenant John Francis DeSwan (Spanish-American War).
He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company H, 21st U.S. Infantry, for actions at Santiago, Cuba, July 1, 1898. DeSwan died in 1956 and is buried in Section R, Site 195-A.
First Sergeant Mosheim Feaster (Indian Wars).
He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company E, 7th U.S. Cavalry, for actions at Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota, December 29, 1890. Feaster died in 1950 and is buried in Section O, Site 319.
Sergeant Paul H.
Foster (Vietnam). He received the Medal of Honor posthumously for service in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, 3rd Marine Division, in recognition of heroism and unhesitating self-sacrifice that saved his comrades from further injury near Con Thien, Republic of Vietnam, October 14, 1967. Foster is buried in Section V, Site 4764.
Sergeant Edward H.
Gibson (Philippine Insurrection). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company M, 27th Infantry, for actions at San Mateo, Philippine Islands, December 19, 1899. Gibson died in 1942 and is buried in Section L, Site 7791.
Private First Class Harold Gonsalves (World War II).
Harold Gonsalves of California enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1943 and served with the 4th Battalion, 15th Marines, 6th Marine Division. On April 15, 1945, in the Ryukyu Chain, Japan, Gonsalves gave his life to protect fellow marines from a grenade blast by using his body. He received the Medal of Honor on June 19, 1946, posthumously and is buried in Section B, Site 61.
Directions
Cemetery is located in the North end section of San Bruno. From San Francisco International Airport, proceed North on Highway 101 to San Bruno 380 exit and proceed to El Camino Real North. Turn right on El Camino Real; then left on Sneath Lane. The cemetery is on your right.
Flowers and grounds rules
You can place fresh cut flowers on your loved one's grave throughout the year.
Floral items will be removed from graves the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month of when they become faded or unsightly. Items left on gravesites may be removed at any time to facilitate cemetery burial or grounds maintenance operations. Temporary flower containers are available to be used. Containers are located through the cemetery in specially marked containers.
Education and visiting programs
More than half of VA's national cemeteries originated with the Civil War and many are closed to some burials. Other sites were established to serve World War veterans and they continue to expand. Historic themes related with NCA's cemeteries and soldiers' lots vary, but visitors should understand "Why is it here?" NCA began by installing interpretive signs, or waysides, at more than 100 properties to observe the Civil War Sesquicentennial (2011–2015). Please follow the links below to see the interpretive signs for Golden Gate National Cemetery.
A National Cemetery System Golden Gate National Cemetery
Who can be buried at Golden Gate 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 Golden Gate National Cemetery?
- 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).
- 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.
- You or the funeral director call 800-535-1117 (Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET) to request Golden Gate National Cemetery and a date. National cemeteries hold burials Monday through Friday.
VA lists Golden Gate National Cemetery as closed. Ask the scheduling office what, if anything, can still be arranged here, and about open national cemeteries nearby.
Where is the Golden Gate National Cemetery burial schedule?
VA posts a daily burial schedule for every national cemetery. Search it for Golden Gate 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 Golden Gate National Cemetery directly at 650-589-7737.
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 California law; our sister site ProbateUS explains how probate works in California 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 Golden Gate National Cemetery, by straight-line distance:
- San Francisco National Cemetery, San Francisco, CA: 12 mi, closed to new in-ground burials
- Mare Island Naval Cemetery, Vallejo, CA: 32 mi, closed to new in-ground burials
- Benicia Arsenal Post Cemetery, Benicia, CA: 33 mi, closed to new in-ground burials
Funeral homes near Golden Gate National 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.
- Garden Chapel Funeral DirectorsSouth San Francisco, CA1.7 mi from the cemetery
- Chapel of the HighlandsMillbrae, CA2.2 mi from the cemetery
- All County Cremation ServiceColma, CA2.4 mi from the cemetery
- Cypress Lawn Funeral HomeColma, CA3.2 mi from the cemetery
- Pacifica's Chapel By The SeaPacifica, CA3.3 mi from the cemetery
- Woodlawn Funeral HomeColma, CA3.8 mi from the cemetery