Arlington National Cemetery dedicates its ninth columbarium court by conducting joint committal service for forgotten veterans
ARLINGTON, Va. – Arlington National Cemetery will dedicate its ninth columbarium court on May 9, 2013 by conducting a joint full honors committal service for six unclaimed remains of veterans from all branches of the Armed Forces.
The committal service will start at 9 a.m. and will be open to the public.
Arlington officials partnered with the Missing in America Project to identify the six unclaimed remains, who will be the first inurnments in the ninth columbarium court. MIAP is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit corporation that locates, identifies and inters the unclaimed cremated remains of American veterans.
“The military traditions associated with burials at Arlington National Cemetery, the nation's premier military cemetery, are honoring these heroes who were identified by the Missing in America Project,” said Kathryn A. Condon, executive director of Army National Military Cemeteries. “I can't think of a better way to dedicate this hallowed ground than by honoring these forgotten heroes who until now, did not have a resting place befitting their service and sacrifice,” she said.
The new Columbarium Court No. 9 is approximately 116 feet wide, 11 feet tall and 540 feet long – nearly the length of two football fields. It contains 20,296 niches and is two-and-a-half times bigger than Arlington’s next largest columbarium. The $15.6 million construction project began in Jan. 2012 and is scheduled to be completed on time.
“Without the Columbarium Court No. 9 expansion, Arlington National Cemetery would have run out of niche space in 2016. By adding more than 20,000 niche spaces for our veterans and their families, Columbarium Court No. 9 is extending the life of the cemetery for years to come,” said Condon. Arlington National Cemetery is committed to honoring the legacy of our fallen heroes, veterans and their families through dignified military burial and inurnment services.
The work that Arlington is undertaking today will further enable the cemetery to be a place for people to Honor, Remember and Explore this Nation’s rich history well into the future.