Wood National Cemetery is a VA national cemetery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 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 Wood National Cemetery
Wood National Cemetery is located on the grounds of a former Soldiers Home that today is called the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI.
From 1867 until 1871, the home buried its soldiers in private cemeteries in the Milwaukee area. In 1871, a cemetery opened on the grounds. Originally known only as Soldiers Home Cemetery, it wasn't until 1937 the name was changed to honor Gen. George Wood, a longtime member of the Soldiers' Home's Board of Managers. It became a national cemetery in 1973.
The cemetery is part of the Northwestern Branch-National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers National Historic Landmark district, designated on June 6, 2011.
Monuments and Memorials The 60-foot-tall granite Civil War Soldiers and Sailors monument was erected in 1903 when the cemetery was part of the Northwest Branch Asylum for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers. The monument was sponsored by the Soldiers and Sailors Association and was sculpted by Joseph Shaver Granite and Marble Co. of Milwaukee.
A memorial pathway is lined with a variety of memorials that honor America's veterans. As of 2003, there were seven memorials along there, most commemorating soldiers of 20th-century wars.
Notable interments
The National Cemetery Administration lists these people of note buried at Wood 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:
Ordinary Seaman James K.
L. Duncan (Civil War). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U. S. Navy, on board the USS Fort Hindman for actions during the engagement near Harrisonburg, LA, April 16, 1864. Duncan died in 1913 and is buried in Section 19, Site 41.
Sergeant Milton Matthews (Civil War).
He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company C, 61st Pennsylvania Infantry, for actions at Petersburg, VA, April 2, 1865. Matthews died in 1896 and is buried in Section 11, Site 61.
Boatswain's Mate Michael McCormick (Civil War).
He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Navy, on board the USS Signal for actions in battle on the Red River, Louisiana, May 5, 1864. McCormick died in 1865 and is memorialized in Section MA, Site 10A.
Corporal Winthrop D.
Putnam (Civil War). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company A, 77th, Illinois Infantry, for actions at Vicksburg, MS, May 22, 1863. Putnam died in 1907 and is buried in Section 16, Site 109.
Captain Lewis A.
Rounds (Civil War). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company D, 8th Ohio Infantry, for actions at Spotsylvania, VA, May 12, 1864. Rounds died in 1916 and is buried in Section 20, Site 256.
Other Burials Section 8 contains private monuments marking the graves of civilians buried in the Wood National Cemetery.
They include doctors who worked for the old Soldiers Home and their families. The largest monument marks the grave of General Kilbourn Knox, the sixth Governor of the Northwest Branch of the Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers who passed away on April 17, 1891 .
Section 8, Site 7
The first interment at Wood National Cemetery is John Afton, Private in Co.
G, 1st Michigan Infantry who died May 22, 1871 .
Section 5-II, Site 163B
There are unknown soldiers interred in Section 4.
Wisconsin native Claude Buckley "Biff" Taugher was born in 1895 and attended Carroll College before serving in the U.S.
Marine Corps during World War I. Second Lieutenant Taugher enlisted in May 1917 and deployed to France with the 6th Regiment (Marines), Second Division, American Expeditionary Forces (AEF). He received the Navy Cross and Distinguished Service Cross for bravery in action on November 2, 1918, in Bayonville; and the Silver Star for actions during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. First Lieutenant Taugher was honorably discharged in August 1919 and he returned home to finish school. Taugher attended Marquette University where he played football and, in 1922, was signed by the Green Bay Packers. His professional football career as a player lasted one season, after which he coached the Carroll College team. Taugher died February 8, 1963, and is buried in Wood National Cemetery .
Section 38A, Row 5, Site 17
Directions
The cemetery is co-located with the VA Medical Center and the VA Regional Office in Milwaukee. From Mitchell International Airport take Interstate 94 west to exit 308A (Mitchell Boulevard/VA Center), turn left on Mitchell Boulevard. Turn right onto Hines Boulevard (Lake Wheeler will be on your left.) Keep left as Hines Boulevard curves, Cemetery Administration Office (BLDG 1301) will be on your right.
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.
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 Wood National Cemetery.
A National Cemetery System Wood National Cemetery
Who can be buried at Wood 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 Wood 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 Wood National Cemetery and a date. National cemeteries hold burials Monday through Friday.
VA lists Wood 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 Wood National Cemetery burial schedule?
VA posts a daily burial schedule for every national cemetery. Search it for Wood 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 Wood National Cemetery directly at 414-382-5300.
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 Wisconsin law; our sister site ProbateUS explains how probate works in Wisconsin 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 Wood National Cemetery, by straight-line distance:
- Wood National Cemetery Annex, Milwaukee, WI: 0 mi, closed to new in-ground burials
- Forest Home Cemetery Soldiers' Lot, Milwaukee, WI: 2 mi, closed to new in-ground burials
- Mound Cemetery Soldiers' Lot, Racine, WI: 22 mi, closed to new in-ground burials
Funeral homes near Wood 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.
- Peace of Mind ServicesMilwaukee, WI0.4 mi from the cemetery
- Schaff Funeral ServicesWest Allis, WI1.4 mi from the cemetery
- Church & Chapel Funeral ServicesNew Berlin, WI1.6 mi from the cemetery
- Heritage Funeral Home – MilwaukeeMilwaukee, WI1.9 mi from the cemetery
- 2.0 mi from the cemetery
- Forest Home CemeteryMilwaukee, WI2.1 mi from the cemetery