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National cemeteries add war dead
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- National cemeteries have begun honoring America's latest war dead with graveside services and the mournful sound of "Taps." On Wednesday, Marine Maj. Jay Thomas Aubin, 36, of Waterville, Maine, became the first Iraq war casualty to be buried in a national cemetery. Aubin, who was stationed at Camp Pendleton and killed in a March 21 helicopter crash, was buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego. Such cemeteries are shrines honoring the sacrifices of all veterans, said Steve Jorgensen, director of Riverside National Cemetery, 60 miles east of Los Angeles. "You only earn the right to be buried in a national cemetery. You can't buy your way in," he said. Riverside National Cemetery, the nation's busiest, and Arlington, its most prestigious, both expect to hold funerals in the coming weeks for members of the uniformed services killed in Iraq. "Every soldier is treated with the dignity and the honors that they deserve," said Jennifer Lafley, a spokeswoman for the Military District of Washington, which oversees Arlington for the Army. Arlington National Cemetery, overlooking the Potomac River near Washington, is the resting place of Civil War soldiers, presidents, astronauts and victims of the September 11 attack on the Pentagon. It announced plans last year to expand by 60 acres. During the Vietnam War, Arlington handled as many as 40 burials a day. Burial space is available in many national cemeteries, but of the 120 overseen by the Department of Veterans Affairs, 33 are filled, department spokeswoman Jo Schuda said. Other cemeteries are operated by the Army or the Interior Department. Rosecrans was closed to new casket burials in 1966, but storms this past winter knocked down two trees, opening up 12 new spaces. Riverside still has about 45,000 unused grave sites and it eventually will have room for more than 600,000, Jorgensen said. No burials have been scheduled at San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery, which relies on volunteers from veteran groups, the National Guard and nearby Lemoore Naval Air Station to provide honor guards. It is sometimes difficult to find buglers to play "Taps." "There's definitely a shortage," said Carla Williams, director of the site. The cemetery has recorded music, if necessary, in shelters where services are conducted. Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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