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VA National Cemetery

Willamette National Cemetery

11800 Southeast Mount Scott Boulevard · Portland, OR 97086

Open for burial

Willamette National Cemetery is a VA national cemetery in Portland, Oregon. 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 Willamette National Cemetery

Willamette National Cemetery is located about 10 miles southeast of Portland, OR, straddling the Multnomah and Clackamas County lines. As the result of lobbying efforts by several veterans' organizations, Congress passed Public Law 388 authorizing the Secretary of War to establish a national cemetery in the Portland vicinity in 1941. Although President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the bill into law, he felt that funds for the purchase of land should be limited to defense needs. As a result, no appropriation was made to build the cemetery.

At the conclusion of World War II, regional authorities again began urging the development of a national cemetery in Oregon. In 1949, the state donated approximately 102 acres and subsequent donations in 1952 brought the total land area to a little over 201 acres. Construction work started in 1950, and the area was officially designated Willamette National Cemetery on December 14, 1950. The first burial occurred in 1951.

An additional 68 acres were dedicated in 1997 and include additional burial sections and columbaria. The latest addition to the cemetery was the 2011 purchase of 38 adjacent acres that are held for future development.

Monuments and Memorials Willamette National Cemetery is home to the Oregon Korean Veterans Memorial. This series of polished, black granite walls memorializes 283 Oregon servicemen and women who lost their lives in that conflict. Willamette National Cemetery is designated a Blue Star Memorial Highway site.

The American Veterans (AMVETS) donated a carillon to the cemetery in 1975.

Notable interments

The National Cemetery Administration lists these people of note buried at Willamette 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:

Lieutenant Colonel Stanley T.

Adams (Korea). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company A, 19th Infantry Regiment, for actions near Sesim-ni, Korea, February 4, 1951. Adams died in 1999 and is buried in Section H, Site 3623-O.

First Lieutenant Arnold L.

Bjorklund (World War II). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, 142nd Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division, for actions near Altavilla, Italy, September 13, 1943. Bjorklund died in 1979 and is buried in Section H, Site 3622-O.

Specialist 4th Class Larry G.

Dahl (Vietnam). He received the Medal of Honor posthumously for service in the U.S. Army, 359th Transportation Company, U.S. Support Command, in recognition of courageous disregard for personal safety that saved the lives of fellow soldiers at the cost of his own at An Khe, Binh Dinh Province, Republic of Vietnam, February 23, 1971. Dahl is buried in Section H, Site 3622-M.

Sergeant 1st Class Loren R.

Kaufman (Korea). He received the Medal of Honor posthumously for service in the U.S. Army, Company G, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, in recognition of actions near Yongsan, Korea, September 4–5, 1950. Kaufman died in 1951 and is buried in Section H, Site 3622-N.

Other Burials Oregon Governor and U.S.

Senator Mark O. Hatfield

Section H, Site 3623-H

Carson Lee Bigbee (1895–1964) was born in Oregon, the youngest of three boys.

His parents were teachers and all three children were gifted athletes. Bigbee's comparatively small size and speed on the field earned him the nickname "Skeeter" in high school. Professional baseball teams took notice, but he followed his brothers to the University of Oregon. Skeeter Bigbee joined the professional leagues in 1916 and was picked up by the Pittsburgh Pirates. In the off-season, he worked in the Portland shipyards. He was drafted for military service in World War I, and joined the U.S. Army's Coast Artillery Corps, as a private, in 1918. After the war, he finished his professional baseball career with the Pirates in 1926 and he, and his family, made Portland home for many years. He died October 17, and is buried in Section T, Site 3269.

Directions

From Portland International Airport, take Airport Way to Interstate 205 South. Proceed south approximately seven miles to Foster Rd. (Exit 17). Take exit and travel east on Foster 3/4 mile then turn right on 110th Drive. Proceed uphill 3/4 mile. Cemetery entrance is on the left, just before reaching stop sign at Mt. Scott Boulevard.

Flowers and grounds rules

Fresh flowers may be placed on gravesites at any time. Vases are available for use in vase containers throughout the cemetery.

Artificial flowers may be placed on gravesites from November 1 to March 1. They may also be placed five calendar days before and after Memorial Day.

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

Where is the Willamette National Cemetery burial schedule?

VA posts a daily burial schedule for every national cemetery. Search it for Willamette 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 Willamette National Cemetery directly at 503-273-5250.

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

Funeral homes near Willamette 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.

  1. 0.5 mi from the cemetery
  2. 1.1 mi from the cemetery
  3. 1.7 mi from the cemetery
  4. Earth Funeral Home
    Portland, OR
    2.2 mi from the cemetery
  5. 3.2 mi from the cemetery
  6. 3.8 mi from the cemetery

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