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VA National Cemetery

National Memorial Cemetery at Quantico

18424 Joplin Road · Triangle, VA 22172

Open for burial

National Memorial Cemetery at Quantico is a VA national cemetery in Triangle, Virginia. 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 National Memorial Cemetery at Quantico

National Memorial Cemetery at Quantico is located on land that was part of the U.S. Marine Corps training base adjacent to Quantico in Prince William County, VA. The land has been used by the military for over 200 years. First, around 1775 by the Commonwealth of Virginia for Navy operations, and later, as a blockade point for the Confederate army during the Civil War.

In 1918 a permanent Marine base was established at Quantico. The Marine Corps Schools, a forerunner of the Marine Corps Development and Education Command, was created there in 1921. Since 1941, the focus of the base has been individual education rather than unit training. In 1977, the Marine Corps donated 725 acres of this land to the VA's National Cemetery Administration, to establish a facility at Quantico. The cemetery was formally dedicated on May 15, 1983.

Monuments and Memorials There are nine memorials in all. A monument to Edson's Raiders was the first memorial dedicated at Quantico National Cemetery, unveiled on the memorial pathway on August 6, 1989. It is dedicated to the 800 members of the First Marine Raider Battalion, which from August 1942 to October 1943, played a key role in helping the greatly outnumbered American forces push back Japanese troops in the Brigit Solomon Islands.

The Purple Heart Memorial was dedicated August 7, 1990, in honor of Purple Heart medal recipients interred at the cemetery. The Purple Heart was created by George Washington in 1782 and was originally awarded for heroism. It eventually fell into disuse until 1931 when General Douglas MacArthur revived it for soldiers who were wounded or killed in defense of their nation.

Additional memorials honor: Colonel William "Rich" Higgins, Marine Corps, who was captured and held hostage in Lebanon by pro-Iranian Hezbollah terrorists; the Fourth Marine or "Fighting Fourth" Division; the Commonwealth of Virginia Memorial dedicated to honor all of the nation's Veterans; the First Marine Division Memorial, in memory of those who lost their lives while serving with the 1st Marine Division; and the 6th Marine Division or "Striking Sixth" Memorial to honor the division that won the Presidential Unit Citation for its actions in Okinawa during World War II. The memorial design is based on a Japanese tomb. The 6th Marine Division Presidential Unit Citation, unveiled on April 14, 2000, for its distinguished "Service Second to None" on Okinawa during World War II. The Order of the Purple Heart memorial was donated by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1503. Dedicated on Memorial Day, May 25, 2009.

Notable interments

The National Cemetery Administration lists these people of note buried at National Memorial Cemetery at Quantico, 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:

Private First Class Hector A.

Cafferata, Jr. (Korea). Cafferata received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, for extraordinary heroism as a rifleman with Company F, in Korea, November 28, 1950. Cafferata died in 2016 and is buried in Section 24, Site 30.

Other Burials In 1945, Second Lieutenant Frederick Branch became the first African-American officer in the U.S.

Marine Corps. Born in North Carolina, in 1922, he graduated from Temple University in 1947 with a degree in physics. Branch developed the science program for Philadelphia's Murrell Dobbins High School and taught for 35 years, but World War II interrupted his education. Branch fought in the South Pacific in 1943, followed by officer training. He served in Korea but resigned in 1955 due to limited opportunities for advancement. Captain Branch was recognized for his role in desegregation of the armed forces. The U.S. Senate passed a resolution honoring his landmark commission in 1995, he received an NAACP award, and a building at Quantico's Officer Candidate School is named for him. Branch died April 10, 2005, and is buried in National Memorial Cemetery at Quantico .

Section 17, Site 472

Creadell J.

Haley (1916–2000) was born in Oklahoma, where she and a brother were raised by an aunt and uncle. Haley graduated from Quincy High School in 1936 and enlisted in the Women's Army Air Corps (WAAC) in 1942. Her mechanical aptitude led to an opportunity to train as an aviation cadet. At the end of World War II, Haley was discharged at the rank of sergeant and continued her training as a pilot. She took her first solo flight in 1946. Sergeant Haley was the first woman, and only African-American, from Adams County, OK, to serve in the WAAC. This pioneer aviatrix became a Baha'i missionary to South America and composed hymns for her faith. She died November 2 in Washington, DC, and is buried in National Memorial Cemetery at Quantico .

Section 5, Site 258

Jack Hawkins was born in Texas on October 25, 1916, and graduated from the Naval Academy in 1939.

He was with the Fourth Marines in the Philippines in the opening phase of WWII and was taken prisoner by the Japanese during the Battle of Corregidor in May 1942. After eleven months of captivity he escaped and joined a guerrilla force, earning the Distinguished Service Cross. In the Korean War he led a Marine battalion during the Inchon Landing and at the Chosin Reservoir and earned a Silver Star. He was promoted to full colonel in 1955 and instructed amphibious landings at Quantico. His background led to his selection to train and plan the failed April 1961 Bay of Pigs Invasion for the CIA. He retired from active duty in 1965. He died May 17, 2013 and is interred in Section 22, Site 603.

Colonel William "Rich" Higgins, the chief of a 75-member U.S.

Military Observer Group, a United Nations Truce Supervision Organization, was captured by a pro-Iranian Shiite Moslem group on February 17, 1988 in Beirut. He was held hostage and killed by his kidnappers on July 6, 1990. A marker was placed in the memorial section until his body was found and repatriated. Colonel Higgins was interred on December 30, 1991, in Section 23, Site 141.

Louis R.

Lowery, a World War II Marine combat photographer, took the picture of the first U.S. flag rising on top of Iwo Jima's Mount Suribachi in 1945. The flag was said to be the first U.S. flag flown over Japanese territory in World War II. He was interred on April 1, 1987 .

Section 1, Site 6422

Lieutenant General Charles H.

Pitman (Vietnam). Charles H. Pitman (1935–2020) was born in Illinois in 1935 and enlisted in the Naval Reserve in 1952, later joining the Marines. As a lieutenant colonel, Pitman played a key role in ending the 1973 mass shooting incident in New Orleans by commandeering a military helicopter to assist the local police force in subduing a sniper who had targeted the civilian populace of New Orleans. In 1980, Pitman was called to assist the newly created Delta Force in training helicopter pilots for Operation Eagle Claw, the United States' covert mission to rescue American hostages held within the Embassy in Iran. Pitman's final assignment was as deputy commandant for aviation. Charles Pitman retired in 1990 as a lieutenant general after 38 years of service. Pitman died in 2020 and is buried in the National Memorial Cemetery at Quantico .

Section 30, Site 609

General Lewis William Walt, assistant commandant of the Marine Corps from 1968–1971, had a career that spanned over 35 years and he served through three major wars.

General Walt was awarded two Navy Crosses, one Silver Star, and two Purple Hearts. He was interred on May 11, 2000, in Section 17, Site 51 B.

General Michael J.

Williams (Vietnam, Persian Gulf). Williams (1943–2025) was born in Baltimore, MD, and enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1960. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1967 and became a Naval Aviator two years later. Williams served in Vietnam before being ordered to the Marine Corps Amphibious Warfare School at Quantico, VA. He went on to command Marine Aircraft Group 26 during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Williams also led the 2nd Force Service Support Group, directing humanitarian relief efforts for Haitian and Cuban migrants at Guantanamo Bay. On September 8, 2000, he became the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps. Williams' personal decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal with gold star, Legion of Merit with gold star, Bronze Star Medal with Combat V, the Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal with Strike Flight Numerals "25" and bronze star, and Navy Commendation Medal with gold star and Combat V. .

Section 81, Site 294

Directions

Cemetery is located midway between Washington, DC and Fredericksburg, VA off Interstate 95 at southbound Exit 150B and northbound Exit 150 onto Rt. 619 West. Proceed ¾ mile on Rt. 619 West to the cemetery entrance on the left. Directional signs are posted on I-95 and Rt. 619.

Flowers and grounds rules

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

The cemetery will provide temporary flower containers. Three floral arrangements accompanying the casket or urn at the time of burial will be placed on the completed grave. Arrangements are removed from gravesites three days after the burial or when they become withered and unsightly.

Who can be buried at National Memorial Cemetery at Quantico?

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 National Memorial Cemetery at Quantico?

  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 National Memorial Cemetery at Quantico and a date. National cemeteries hold burials Monday through Friday.

Where is the National Memorial Cemetery at Quantico burial schedule?

VA posts a daily burial schedule for every national cemetery. Search it for National Memorial Cemetery at Quantico 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 National Memorial Cemetery at Quantico directly at 703-221-2183.

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 Virginia law; our sister site ProbateUS explains how probate works in Virginia 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 National Memorial Cemetery at Quantico, by straight-line distance:

Funeral homes near National Memorial Cemetery at Quantico

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. 6.3 mi from the cemetery
  2. 6.3 mi from the cemetery
  3. 7.1 mi from the cemetery
  4. 7.5 mi from the cemetery
  5. 8.5 mi from the cemetery
  6. 8.9 mi from the cemetery

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