Puerto Rico National Cemetery is a VA national cemetery in Bayamon, Pr. 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 Puerto Rico National Cemetery
The Puerto Rico National Cemetery is located on the north side of the island in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, and is approximately 13 miles from San Juan, the capital. The cemetery serves as an American presence on the island and many distinguished Puerto Ricans who served in the U.S. military are interred there.
Prior to becoming a national cemetery, the land where the cemetery is now located was owned by the U.S. Navy and it was used as a machine gun range. After World War II, the land was transferred to the Department of the Army specifically for the construction of a new national cemetery. Negotiations for construction of the cemetery began after the land was transferred on July 12, 1948 and the private firm of Font & Montilla was contracted to build the cemetery.
The 108.2-acre cemetery was dedicated on Veteran's Day in 1949 and it is the only national cemetery located in Puerto Rico. According to El Diario, the local newspaper, the dedication was attended by both local and military officials such as Luis Munoz-Marin, the Governor of Puerto Rico, and Major General Herman Feldman, the Quartermaster of the U.S. Army. In his remarks during the dedication, Feldman noted that, "practically every family in Puerto Rico had a representative in uniform during World War II." Since its dedication, Puerto Rico National Cemetery has been a shrine to Puerto Ricans who served in the armed forces.
The cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 26, 1983.
Notable interments
The National Cemetery Administration lists these people of note buried at Puerto Rico 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:
Private First Class Fernando Luis Garcia-Ledesma (Korea).
Fernando Luis Garcia-Ledesma, native of Puerto Rico, joined the U.S. Marine Corps on September 19, 1951. He served in Company I, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division. On September 5, 1952, less than a year in service, a wounded Garcia-Ledesma was under heavy attack from enemy forces while attempting to secure weapons. Without regard for personal safety he threw himself on a grenade and saved a comrade. Private First Class Garcia-Ledesma received the Medal of Honor posthumously on October 25, 1953. He is memorialized in Section MB, Site 3.
Sergeant Major Juan Enrique Negron-Martinez (Korea).
Juan Enrique Negron-Martinez, native of Puerto Rico, enlisted in the U.S. Army in March 1948 and served in Company L, 65th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division. The 65th Infantry is known as the Borinqueneers, after the soldiers' Puerto Rican heritage. On April 28, 1951, Sergeant Major Negron-Martinez took the most vulnerable position while fighting the enemy in Kalma-Eri, Korea. When his company began to withdraw, he continued his assault while the company organized and launched a counterattack. Negron-Martinez received numerous medals for his service and stayed in the army until March 1971. Negron-Martinez was awarded the Medal of Honor on March 18, 2014, posthumously. He died March 29, 1996, and is buried in Section J, Site 3180.
Captain Euripides Rubio, Jr.
(Vietnam). Euripides Rubio, Jr., native of Puerto Rico, enlisted in the U.S. Army on March 18, 1959, and was a communications officer with Headquarters Company, 28th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division. On November 8, 1966, in Tay Ninh Province, Captain Rubio and his comrades were heavily attacked by enemy forces. Although injured twice, he assumed command and redirected an air strike before dying of his wounds, for which Rubio, Jr., received the Medal of Honor. He is buried in Section HSA, Site 5.
Other Burials Col.
Bailey K. Ashford, Spanish American War. Disinterred from Ft. Brooke Military Cemetery and re-interred in the Puerto Rico National Cemetery on April 20, 1954 in Section A, Site 1204.
As a recently commissioned lieutenant in the U.S.
Army Medical Corps, Col. Baily K. Ashford accompanied a military expedition to Puerto Rico in 1898. Serving as the medical officer in the general military hospital in Ponce, Puerto Rico, he was the first to describe and successfully treat North American hookworm in 1899. He was a tireless clinician and conducted an exhaustive study of the anemia caused by hookworm infestation, which was responsible for as many as 12,000 deaths a year. From 1903–1904, he organized and conducted a parasite treatment campaign, which cured approximately 300,000 persons (one-third of the Puerto Rico population) and reduced the death rate from this anemia by 90 percent.
Captain Ashford was a founding member of the Puerto Rico Anemia Commission and, by special authority of the Secretary of War, served on the Commission from 1904–1906.
In 1911, his proposal for an Institute of Tropical Medicine in Puerto Rico was approved by the legislature. After serving as a commander of the Army Medical Department's First Division during the First World War, Colonel Ashford was assigned to San Juan and campaigned for the development of "a real school of tropical medicine in the American tropics". The School of Tropical Medicine in San Juan was formally dedicated in 1925. After a 30-year Army career, Dr. Ashford assumed a full time faculty position at the School and continued his interest in tropical medicine. His writings include: "Anemia in Puerto Rico", 1904; and "Uncinariasis in Puerto Rico", 1911.
Diana Beatriz Borrero de Padro was born in 1946.
She enlisted in the Army in 1978 and served for four years. Specialist Technician Padro served at Fort Hood, TX, and at Fort Clayton, Panama. In 2001, she worked as a civilian accountant for the Department of the Army. She was killed in the September 11 terrorist attack on the Pentagon, and was buried in Puerto Rico National Cemetery on December 2, 2001 .
Section E, Site 2247
Modesto Cartagena is the most decorated Hispanic soldier to serve in the Korean War.
Cartagena enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942 and was assigned to the all-Puerto Rican 65th Infantry Regiment, nicknamed the Borinqueneers (derivation of Borinquen, the island name used by original inhabitants, the Taino Indians). He fought in Europe during World War II, earning Bronze and Silver stars. During the Korean War, SGT FC Cartagena saved the lives of his unit by charging into enemy fire and "single-handedly" knocking out enemy emplacements before being wounded. This action earned him the Distinguished Service Cross. The Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico awarded him its Military Medal of Honor for his notable career. The Borinqueneers were also honored with the Congressional Gold Medal in 2014 for bravery in battle, becoming the first Hispanic military unit to receive the award. Cartagena died in 2010. .
Section P, Site 1864
Elmy Luis Matta was born in Puerto Rico, in 1921.
One of six children, he attended grammar school and enlisted in the army during World War II. 1st Lieutenant Matta also served in Korea, where he commanded Company F, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division. On August 3, 1950, he led an assault on an enemy road block and was killed in action. Matta received the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions that day as well as the Purple Heart. He was buried in Puerto Rico National Cemetery on July 18, 1951 .
Section A, Site 41
Directions
The cemetery is located approximately 1.5 miles Northwest of Bayamon and about 13 miles from San Juan. From Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport, take Baldorioty De Castro Avenue (West toward San Juan on state road 26), stay on the route to Bayamon (state freeway 22), and continue to Exit 13, Avenida Comerio, (state road 167). At the end of the ramp, turn left, continue under the bypass, at the third traffic light, make a right turn, continue to first traffic light, turn left and the cemetery will be on your left.
Flowers and grounds rules
Our cemetery floral regulations exist only to reflect the honor and respect we hold for our Nation's Veterans and their loved ones, by preserving the dignity and solemnity of their final resting place.
We welcome and encourage fresh-cut flowers throughout the year and provide flower containers for gravesite display. Items left at the grave must be floral in nature and may not stand taller than 18 inches. Other items, to include hazardous materials, glass, metal, toys, candles, balloons and flags are not permitted. Unauthorized items will be removed. Flowers will be removed when they become unsightly, for mowing and maintenance, or if damaged by weather or wildlife. Due to the open nature of the grounds, we cannot guarantee against theft, vandalism or the effects of nature.
Who can be buried at Puerto Rico 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 Puerto Rico 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 Puerto Rico National Cemetery and a date. National cemeteries hold burials Monday through Friday.
VA lists Puerto Rico 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 Puerto Rico National Cemetery burial schedule?
VA posts a daily burial schedule for every national cemetery. Search it for Puerto Rico 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 Puerto Rico National Cemetery directly at 787-798-8400.
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). 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 Puerto Rico National Cemetery, by straight-line distance:
- Morovis National Cemetery, Morovis, PR: 17 mi, open for burials
- South Florida National Cemetery, Lake Worth, FL: 1058 mi, open for burials
- Cape Canaveral National Cemetery, Mims, FL: 1172 mi, open for burials
Funeral homes near Puerto Rico 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.
- Porta Coeli Cremation PlusBayamon, PR0.6 mi from the cemetery
- Alvarez FunerariaBayamon, PR6.0 mi from the cemetery
- Giant Panda LLCJuan, PR6.6 mi from the cemetery
- Funeraria BuxedaSan Juan, PR7.0 mi from the cemetery
- Cementerio La PiedadSan Juan, PR7.2 mi from the cemetery
- Cementerio Parque De LuzCaguas, PR15.6 mi from the cemetery