Many Fort Rosecrans interments date to the early years of the
California Republic, including the remains of the casualties of the
Battle of San Pasqual, in which 19 of Brigadier General
Stephen W. Kearny's men and an untold number of
Californios lost their lives. Initially, the dead were buried where they fell, but by 1874 the remains had been removed to the San Diego Military Reservation. Eight years later, the bodies were again reinterred at what is now Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. In 1922, the San Diego chapter of the
Native Sons and Daughters of the Golden West had a large boulder brought from the battlefield and placed at the gravesite with a plaque affixed that lists the names of the dead.[4]
Another notable monument in Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery is the
USS Bennington Monument which commemorates the deaths of 62 sailors in a boiler explosion aboard
USS Bennington (PG-4). Bennington, which had just returned from maneuvers in the Pacific, was anchored in
San Diego Harbor. On July 21, 1905, the crew was ordered to depart in search for
USS Wyoming (BM-10), which had lost a propeller at sea. At approximately 10:30 a.m., an explosion in the boiler room ripped through the ship, killing or wounding the majority of the crew. Two days later the remains of soldiers and sailors were brought to the post cemetery and interred in an area known as Bennington Plot.[4]
At one time, the cemetery was called the Bennington Nation Cemetery, but in 1934 was named the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. Fort Rosecrans became a National Cemetery on October 5, 1934.[5] The decision to make the post cemetery part of the national system came, in part, due to changes in legislation that greatly increased the number of persons eligible for burial in a national cemetery. Grave space in
San Francisco National Cemetery then grew increasingly limited.[6] In addition, southern California was experiencing a phenomenal population growth during this period, and there was a definitive need for more burial sites.[7]
All available space for casketed remains at Fort Rosecrans was exhausted in the late 1960s, but cremated remains continued to be accepted.[5] In the first decade of the 21st Century addition of extensive columbaria, in place of old chain-link fencing has allowed the interment of thousands of additional veterans there.[8]
Today, the Fort Rosecrans Memorial Day celebration is the largest Memorial Day festivity in San Diego. The Fort Rosecrans Memorial Day Committee consists of war veterans' organizations, their auxiliaries, and patriotic groups.[5]
Monuments and memorials
Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery has several war memorials, including:
The granite and bronze memorial to the
USS Wasp (CV-7) commemorates the members of the ship's company who were lost when their ship was sunk during the
Battle of Guadalcanal on September 15, 1942.
The
USS Bennington Monument is a 75-foot granite obelisk dedicated to the men who lost their lives on that ship in San Diego Harbor on July 21, 1905. The monument was dedicated on January 7, 1908.
The
USS Ommaney Bay (CVE-79) monument is an etched granite memorial to the men lost in action when the ship was sunk on 4 January 1945.
A monument dedicated to the
Mormon Battalion was erected in 1998.
The Patriots of America memorial was dedicated in 1999 by the California Society of the
Order of the Founders and Patriots of America to honor all Americans who answered the call to arms.
The granite
3rd Infantry Division monument was dedicated to fallen comrades on February 16, 2002.
Battle off Samar
Several monuments have been erected in memory of the sailors lost in the
Battle off Samar, October 25, 1944, a part of the
Battle of Leyte Gulf (
Philippines), and in subsequent battles of the Pacific:
Brigadier general
Vernon M. Guymon (1898–1965), U.S. Marine Corps, Naval aviator who earned the
Silver Star in World War I as Ground officer, later decorated with the
Navy Cross in Nicaragua
Major General
Bruno Hochmuth (1911–1967), U.S. Marine Corps, first Marine division commander to be killed in any war
Major General
Archie F. Howard (1892–1964), U.S. Marine Corps, served in World War I, World War II and China as Commanding General, 6th Marine Division.
Lieutenant General
Victor H. Krulak (1913–2008), U.S. Marine Corps, served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam in which he served as the Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific. He was also the father of retired Marine General Charles Krulak, the 31st U.S. Marine Corps Commandant
Major General
Frank C. Lang (1918–2008), U.S. Marine Corps aviator, served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam
Vice Admiral
William R. Munroe (1886–1966), United States Navy admiral who commanded ashore and afloat in the Atlantic theater during World War II
General
Holland Smith (1884–1967), U.S. Marine Corps, commanded the Fleet Marine Force (FMF) in the Pacific during World War II and led the "island hopping" campaign in the central Pacific
Burial in Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery was available for eligible veterans, their spouses and dependents at no cost to the family and includes the gravesite, grave-liner, opening and closing of the grave, a headstone or marker, and perpetual care as part of a national shrine. For veterans, benefits may also include a burial flag (with case for active duty), and military funeral honors. Family members and other loved ones of deceased veterans may request Presidential Memorial Certificates.
Veterans discharged from active duty under conditions other than dishonorable and servicemembers who die while on active duty, active duty for training, or inactive duty training, as well as spouses and dependent children of veterans and active duty servicemembers, may be eligible for VA burial and memorial benefits including burial in a national cemetery. The veteran does not have to die before the spouse or dependent child for that person to be eligible.
Reservists and National Guard members, as well as their spouses and dependent children, are eligible if they were entitled to retired pay at the time of death, or would have been upon reaching requisite age.
Burial of dependent children is limited to unmarried children under 21 years of age, or under 23 years of age if a full-time student at an approved educational institution. Unmarried adult children who become physically or mentally disabled and incapable of self-support before age 21, or age 23 if a full-time student, also are eligible for burial.
A Federal law passed in 2010 (Public Law 111-275) extends burial benefits to certain parents of servicemembers who die as a result of hostile activity or from combat training-related injuries who are buried in a national cemetery in a gravesite with available space. The biological or adopted parents of a servicemember who dies in combat or while performing training in preparation for a combat mission, leaving no surviving spouse or dependent child, may be buried with the deceased servicemember if the Secretary of Veterans Affairs determines that there is available space. The law applies to servicemembers who died on or after Oct. 7, 2001 and to parents who died on or after Oct. 13, 2010.