Santa Fe National Cemetery
Visitation Hours: Open daily from sunrise to sunset.
Office Hours: Monday thru Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Closed federal holidays except Memorial Day.
This cemetery has space available to accommodate casketed and cremated remains.
Burial in a national cemetery is open to all members of the armed forces who have met a minimum active duty service requirement and were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable.
A Veteran's spouse, widow or widower, minor dependent children, and under certain conditions, unmarried adult children with disabilities may also be eligible for burial. Eligible spouses and children may be buried even if they predecease the Veteran.
Members of the reserve components of the armed forces who die while on active duty or who die while on training duty, or were eligible for retired pay, may also be eligible for burial.
The cemetery is located on the north side of Santa Fe. Travel north from Albuquerque on Interstate 25. Take exit 276 (Santa Fe Bypass) and take a left at the light. Travel approximately 15 miles following signs for downtown Santa Fe. Move into left-hand lane following sign for (downtown/Museums) and you will see the cemetery on your left. Immediately after crossing the overpass take the first left into the cemetery.
Traveling from south from Las Vegas on Interstate 25, take exit 282, St. Francis Drive/Plaza. Stay on St. Francis Drive and travel about eight miles. Turn right onto Alamo Drive and, at the next stop sign, go straight across Guadalupe Street directly into cemetery.
Fax all discharge documentation to the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 1-866-900-6417 and follow-up with a phone call to 1-800-535-1117.
For information on scheduled burials in our national cemeteries, please go to the Daily Burial Schedule.
Santa Fe National Cemetery is a national shrine, which serves as a reminder of the untold histories of the veterans who helped preserve our freedom. Our director, office personnel, caretakers and specialists combine efforts toward learning, listening and compassion to better the organization.
At the Santa Fe National Cemetery the flag of the United States is proudly flown. The grounds are well-kept and orderly rows of headstones and monuments that commemorate the lives and services of those who, each in their own way and according to their talents and abilities, contributed to the growth, development and preservation of the Nation. A grateful Nation honors those who served it well.
Military Funeral Honors
The Santa Fe National Cemetery has available contacts for all branches of service that will perform Military Honors. In addition to the branches of service we can complement any service locally from Santa Fe with the New Mexico Army National Guard Honor Guard Team as well as the VFW. Contact your funeral director or call the Santa Fe National Cemetery for contact numbers.
For educational materials and additional information on this cemetery, please visit the Education section, located below.
Fresh cut flowers may be placed on graves at any time. Metal and plastic temporary flower containers are permitted. Glass vases are not permitted.
Permanent vases are no longer permitted and will not be replaced or repaired.
Artificial flowers may be placed on graves only during the period from November 1 to April 1.
Potted plants and artificial flowers will be permitted on graves during the period 10 days before and 10 days after Easter Sunday and Memorial Day. Plantings will not be permitted on graves at any times.
Christmas wreaths, grave blankets and other seasonal adornments are permitted on the graves from December 1 and will be removed on January 20. They may not be secured to headstones or markers.
Trees are the property of the cemetery and are not to be decorated with Christmas ornaments.
Statues, vigil lights, glass objects, floral items, candles, other flammable items and mementos of any kind are not permitted on the headstones and markers or gravesites at any time.
The cemetery will decorate each grave prior to Memorial Day with small gravesite flags, which will be removed the day after Memorial Day. Flags are not permitted on graves at any other time.
Floral items will be removed from graves as soon as they become faded and unsightly. During the mowing and ground maintenance season, all unsightly floral items will be removed each Friday.
All items placed on gravesites become the property of the U.S. Government and will be disposed of under Federal Regulations. Flowers are placed at your own risk. They will not be replaced by the cemetery if they are damaged, lost or stolen.
For further information please contact the Administration Office.
VA regulations 38 CFR 1.218 prohibit the carrying of firearms (either openly or concealed), explosives or other dangerous or deadly weapons while on VA property, except for official purposes, such as military funeral honors.
Possession of firearms on any property under the charge and control of VA is prohibited. Offenders may be subject to a fine, removal from the premises, or arrest.
Santa Fe National Cemetery is located within the city limits of Santa Fe, NM, approximately one mile northwest of the main plaza.
Thirteen years before the Pilgrims settled in Plymouth Colony, the Spanish had established a small settlement in Santa Fe, NM. Santa Fe would soon become the seat of power for the Spanish Empire north of the Rio Grande and the oldest capital city in North America. Santa Fe is the site of both the oldest public building in America, the Palace of the Governors, and the nation's oldest community celebration, the Santa Fe Fiesta, established in 1712 to commemorate the Spanish reconquest of New Mexico in summer 1692. Conquistador Don Pedro de Peralta and his men laid out the plan for Santa Fe at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains on the site of the ancient Pueblo ruin of Kaupoge, or "place of shell beads near the water."
When Mexico gained its independence from Spain, Santa Fe became the capital of the province of New Mexico. With the Spanish defeat came an end to the policy of a closed empire; American trappers and traders journeyed into the region along the 1,000 mile Santa Fe trail beginning in Arrow Rock, MO. For a brief period in 1837, northern New Mexico farmers rebelled against Mexican rule, killing the provincial governor in what has been called the Chimayó Rebellion, and occupying the capital. The insurrectionists were soon defeated and peace returned to Santa Fe for almost a decade.
In 1846, at the outset of the Mexican-American War, President James K. Polk asked General Stephen Watts Kearny to muster an army and march 1,000 miles into the Southwest to claim that region for the United States and organize territorial governments along the way. Kearny, faced with a Mexican administration weakened by years of occupation and political turmoil, was able to take Santa Fe without firing a shot. In quick succession, he won over the local leadership, assured a peaceful transition to a new civilian government and implemented a new legal code for the territory before continuing on to Arizona and California.
While there was little armed conflict in the territory of New Mexico during the Civil War, there were some engagements in the area of Santa Fe. Confederate General Henry H. Sibley raised and equipped a column to secure the secessionist claims in the New Mexico and Arizona region. Undermanned, often commanded by secessionist sympathizers and largely abandoned, the U.S. installations in the region were initially unable to defend themselves. News of the Confederate advance into New Mexico quickly raised volunteers from the Colorado Territory who took up the march. In addition, a large "California column" was raised to help defend the city of Santa Fe.
Toward the end of March 1862, Union Major John M. Chivington encountered a Confederate force southeast of the city, where the Santa Fe Trail crossed the mountains. Several days of skirmishes culminated in a battle at Glorieta Pass. Although the Confederates held their own, several hundred Union soldiers moved to the far end of the canyon and attacked the unprotected supply train. After bayoneting the pack animals and burning the wagons, the Union forces left Sibley's men little choice but to make the long trek back to Texas. The campaign not only ended Southern ambitions in the Southwest but it also forced the Confederate abandonment of Fort Bliss outside El Paso, TX.
At the close of the Civil War, the federal government established a cemetery for the reinterment of Union soldiers who died during the brief military activity in the area. The ground initially chosen was located just west of Santa Fe and is currently part of Santa Fe National Cemetery. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Santa Fe, who owned the property, donated the land to the United States in 1870. Santa Fe's initial designation as a national cemetery was short lived. In July 1876, the War Department decided that, to save expenses, its status should be downgraded to that of a post cemetery. The superintendent was transferred to Mound City National Cemetery, Illinois, and the quartermaster was transferred to Fort Macy, a local post in Santa Fe. Nine years later, however, it was re-established as a national cemetery.
Monuments and Memorials
A granite and bronze memorial to World War II Glider Pilots was dedicated on Veterans Day, November 11, 1994.
A granite memorial to Women Who Served in the Navy was erected in November 1995. The Roadrunner Unit No. 4, New Mexico Chapter, sponsored the memorial.
The China-Burma-India Veterans Memorial is a granite block memorial erected in 2002. It is dedicated to the memory of the men and women who fought in World War II.
Ft. Craig Post Cemetery Memorial is dedicated to the men, women and children who perished at Fort Craig, New Mexico, in the late 1800s. Soldiers stationed there conducted military campaigns against the Apaches and Navajos and, during the Civil War, engaged the Texas Army in the Battle of Valverde in February 1862. Dedicated July 2009.
A granite and bronze memorial to Glorieta Pass Confederate Dead was erected April 1993.
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 390 Medal of Honor recipients interred in VA national cemeteries.
» Medal of Honor recipients buried or memorialized here:
Chief Water Tender Edward A. Clary. He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Navy for actions after a boiler accident on board the USS Hopkins, February 14, 1910. Clary died in 1939 and is buried in Section O, Site 335.
Private Edwin L. Elwood (Indian Wars). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company G, 8th U.S. Cavalry, for actions in the Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona Territory, October 20, 1869. Elwood died in 1907 and is buried in Section H, Site 705.
Specialist Daniel D. Fernandez (Vietnam). Daniel D. Fernandez, native of New Mexico, enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1965 and served with Company C, 1st Battalion, 5th Mechanized Infantry, 25th Infantry Division. On February 18, 1966, while attempting to evacuate a wounded soldier, Fernandez and his comrades were ambushed. When a grenade landed in the middle of the group, to protect fellow soldiers, Fernandez sacrificed himself by covering the grenade blast with his body. He received the Medal of Honor posthumously on April 26, 1967. He is buried in Section S, Site 246.
Corporal Jacob Guenther (Indian Wars). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company E, 8th U.S. Cavalry, for actions in the Arizona Territory in 1868–1869. His citation was awarded under the name of Gunther. He died in 1871 and is buried in Section A-3, Site 1055.
Corporal Thomas Murphy (Indian Wars). Thomas Murphy was born in Kerry, Ireland, and enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1868. While serving in Company F, 8th U.S. Cavalry, Corporal Murphy received the Medal of Honor for actions on August 25, 1869, in Seneca Mountain, Arizona Territory. Murphy died June 27, 1881, and was buried in the cemetery at Fort Grant, Arizona. When the post closed, his remains were reinterred in Section A-1, Site 740.
Captain Raymond G. "Jerry" Murphy (Korea). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division, for actions in Korea, February 3, 1953. Murphy died in 2007 and is buried in Section S, Site 282.
Sergeant Y.B. Rowdy (Indian Wars). Y.B. Rowdy, a Yavapai Indian and native of Arizona, served in the U.S. Army. While in Company A of the Indian Scouts, Sergeant Rowdy demonstrated bravery against hostile Apache Indians at the Salt River, near Cherry Creek, Arizona Territory, on March 7, 1890. He received the Medal of Honor for these actions, but died on March 29, 1893. Originally interred at Fort Grant, Arizona, in 1907 his remains were reinterred in Section A, Site 894.
Colonel Robert S. Scott (World War II). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, 172nd Infantry, 43rd Infantry Division, for actions near Munda Air Strip, New Georgia, Solomon Islands, July 29, 1943. Scott died in 1999 and is buried in Section 9, Site 460.
Private First Class Jose F. Valdez (World War II). Jose F. Valdez, native of New Mexico, enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1943 and served with Company B, 7th Infantry, 3rd Infantry Division. On January 25, 1945, near Rosenkrantz, France, Private First Class Valdez volunteered to cover his company's withdrawal from enemy territory. Then, a wounded Valdez called for artillery and mortar fire near his position. After dragging himself back to American lines, he died from wounds. Valdez posthumously received the Medal of Honor on February 8, 1946. He is buried in Section Q, Site 29.
Other Burials
Initial interments at the cemetery site were the remains of 265 U.S. soldiers from the battlefields of Glorieta, Koslouskys and Fort Marcy.
Subsequent to its second designation in 1892 as a national cemetery, Santa Fe National Cemetery was chosen as the final resting place for the mortal remains of many soldiers who had served and died at the lonely outpost of the southwestern frontier. Remains from the post cemeteries at Fort Apache and Fort Grant, Arizona; Fort Hatch and Fort Wingate, New Mexico; and Fort Duchesne, Utah, are reinterred in this cemetery.
The remains of Governor Charles Bent, the first American governor of the Territory of New Mexico, were among 47 bodies removed in 1895 from the old Masonic Cemetery in Santa Fe to the national cemetery. Governor Bent was killed on January 19, 1847, in an Indian uprising at Taos. The remains of five Confederate soldiers, who died in April 1862, were also among those removed from the Masonic Cemetery to Santa Fe National Cemetery.
On June 23, 1987, the remains of 31 Confederate soldiers (ranging in age from 17 to 42) of the 4th, 5th, and 7th Regiments of the Texas Mounted Volunteers, who were killed or died as a result of wounds during the Battle of Glorieta Pass, March 28, 1862, were discovered in a mass grave on the New Mexico Battlefield of Glorieta Pass. Three soldiers were identified and reinterred in separate graves. The remains of 28 Confederate soldiers who could not be identified are buried in Section K, Site 330C. A monument honors these confederate soldiers who were reinterred at the Santa Fe National Cemetery on April 25, 1993.
Santa Fe National Cemetery is the burial place of Major General Patrick J. Hurley, Secretary of War in the cabinet of President Herbert Hoover. He served with distinction in World Wars I and II, and as U.S. Ambassador to China during the period of 1944–1945. General Hurley died on July 30, 1963 and was interred with full military honors in Section S, Site 149.
The cemetery is also the burial place of Oliver LaFarge who won a Pulitzer Prize for literature in 1930 for his book "Laughing Boy," a story of an Indian youth caught between his tribe's traditional life and forces of modern society. He was the author of many books and articles concerning the American Indian and was a special friend and champion of the Navajo Indians in New Mexico and Arizona. LaFarge served as a Lt. Col. with the Army Air Force during World War II. He died on August 2, 1963, and was interred in Section O, Site 300 on August 5, 1963.
Also buried at the Santa Fe National Cemetery is Warrant Officer John W. Frink, MIA from 1972–1994, who was interred with his father, Harry Wallace Frink, in Section O, Site 371 on May 25, 1994.
Born in Florida in 1929, John Edward Allen joined the U.S. Army Air Corps after graduating from high school. Allen served from 1945–1946 and trained at Tuskegee with the 332nd Fighter Wing. Master Sergeant Allen reenlisted in 1946 and remained in the air force during the Korean and Vietnam conflicts until retiring in 1982. He received the Air Force Commendation Medal for helping de-arm two dozen 500-pound bombs dropped from the wing of a B-52 bomber being prepared for a mission. As a civilian, Allen worked until 2000 in the Weapons Services Division at Kirtland Air Force Base, NM. A recognized community leader, he helped found the General Lloyd W. "Fig" Newton Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen. Allen received the Congressional Gold Medal for service as a Tuskegee Airman. He died July 30, 2013, and is buried at Santa Fe National Cemetery (Section 24, Site 560).
Ned David Becenti, a native of New Mexico, enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on September 15, 1942. Cpl. Becenti was a Navajo Code Talker in the Pacific Theater during World War II and served into December 1945. In 2001, the Navajo Code Talkers were presented with the Congressional Silver Medal. Becenti died October 11, 2002 (Section 23, Site 309).
Carl Csinnjinni, a Navajo and native of New Mexico, enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on July 11, 1942. Cpl. Csinnijinni was a Navajo Code Talker in the Pacific Theater during World War II. In 2001, the Navajo Code Talkers were presented with the Congressional Silver Medal. Csinnjinni's honor was posthumous; he died December 18, 1991 (Section Z, Site 477).
George Curry was born in Louisiana in 1861. He moved to the Territory of New Mexico in 1879 and worked on a cattle ranch. Curry held county offices and in 1894 became a member of the Territorial Senate, serving as president in 1896. He enlisted in the 1st Volunteer Cavalry for the Spanish American War, and then worked in the Philippine Islands. Capt. Curry's military tour introduced him to Teddy Roosevelt, who later appointed him governor of New Mexico (1907). Curry remained in the Philippines during William H. Taft's administration of the islands and held positions in the new provincial government. Connections to Roosevelt and Taft helped Curry bring statehood to New Mexico. He was elected one of its first U.S. representatives in 1912. Last, Curry served as state historian (1945–1947); he died November 27, 1947 (Section O, Site 358).
Ray Foghorn, a Navajo and native of New Mexico, enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on March 26, 1943. He served as a Navajo Code Talker in the Pacific Theater during World War II, until December 30, 1945. In 2001, the Navajo Code Talkers were presented with the Congressional Silver Medal. Foghorn's honor was posthumous. He died August 5, 1999 (Section X, Site 619).
Little is known of David Ford's life in the mid-nineteenth century. He enlisted in the U.S. Army, joining Company C, 38th Infantry, by February 1867. The 38th Infantry was a segregated unit for black soldiers established in 1866; organized at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, it was consolidated with the 41st Infantry in 1869. Together the regiments formed the 24th Infantry and the African Americans who served in them were known as Buffalo Soldiers. Between 1866 and 1869, the 38th Infantry was based in New Mexico. Private Ford served at Fort Craig, where he died of a spinal infection on June 18, 1868, and was buried in the post cemetery. After looters disturbed the graves there in 2007, authorities exhumed the remains for reburial in Santa Fe National Cemetery. In 2009, Ford was reinterred with full military honors in Section 15A, Site 27.
Ross Haskie, a Navajo and native of Arizona, enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on May 25, 1942. Cpl. Haskie was a Navajo Code Talker in the Pacific Theater during World War II, and one of the first to see action. One of the original twenty-nine Code Talkers, Chester Nez, credited Haskie and two others with creating the code. In July 2001 the original twenty-nine Navajo Code Talkers received the Congressional Gold Medal. Haskie's honor was posthumous; he died September 12, 1976 (Section Y, Site 529).
Johnson Housewood, a Navajo and native of Arizona, enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in September 1942. PFC Housewood was a Navajo Code Talker in the Pacific Theater during World War II. In 2001, the Navajo Code Talkers were presented with the Congressional Silver Medal. Housewood's honor was posthumous. He was killed in action in Guam July 21, 1944 (Section U, Site 324).
Leo Kirk, a Navajo and native of Arizona, enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on December 7, 1943. Pvt. Kirk was a Navajo Code Talker in the Pacific Theater during World War II. In November 2001, the Navajo Code Talkers were presented with the Congressional Silver Medal. Kirk's honor was posthumous; he was killed in action in Okinawa, April 15, 1945 (Section Q, Site 330).
Ralph Morgan, a Navajo and native of New Mexico, enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on October 3, 1942. PFC Morgan was a Navajo Code Talker in the Pacific Theater during World War II. In 2001, the Navajo Code Talkers were presented with the Congressional Silver Medal. Morgan's honor was posthumous; he was killed in action in New Guinea, December 30, 1943 (Section Q, Site 42).
Sam Morgan, a Navajo and native of New Mexico, enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on May 28, 1943. PFC Morgan was a Navajo Code Talker in the Pacific Theater during World War II. In 2001, the Navajo Code Talkers were presented with the Congressional Silver Medal. Morgan's honor was posthumous; he was killed in action on Iwo Jima, February 20, 1945 (Section Q, Site 6).
Levi Morris (ca. 1850–1877) was a Buffalo Soldier. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1872 from Pittsburgh, PA, where he worked as a plasterer. During his five-year tour of duty he was assigned to one of the segregated regiments established for black soldiers in 1866. Private Morris joined Company B, 9th Cavalry, and accompanied his regiment to the western frontier, primarily forts in Texas. He was murdered in New Mexico while traveling between Forts Craig and Bayard on June 28, 1877, and was buried in the post cemetery at Fort Craig. However, his was among 60 gravesites looted more than a century later. In 2009, Morris' remains were reinterred at Santa Fe National Cemetery with full military honors in Section 15A, Site 26.
Chester Nez was the last surviving member of the original twenty-nine Navajo Code Talkers. A Navajo and native of New Mexico, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1942. Nez, along with twenty-eight other Marines, was recruited to create a secret code for transmitting military messages from the Navajo language. Nez was stationed in the Pacific Theater during World War II, where he was among the first of the Code Talkers to see action, and served into 1945. Cpl. Nez reenlisted during the Korean War, serving 1950–1953, according to the Veterans History Project. In July 2001, Nez and the other original Navajo Code Talkers received the Congressional Gold Medal. Nez published his memoir in 2011 and died in 2014 (Section 21, Site 555).
Sammy Silversmith, a Navajo and native of New Mexico, enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on April 26, 1943. PFC Silversmith was a Navajo Code Talker in the Pacific Theater during World War II and served into November 1946. In 2001, the Navajo Code Talkers were presented with the Congressional Silver Medal. Silversmith's honor was posthumous; he died February 7, 2001 (Section 11, Site 23).
Thomas Smith (1841–1866) was born in Butler County, Kentucky, and enlisted in the Union Army in 1864. Smith was assigned to Company A, 125th United States Colored Troops Infantry, for a three-year tour of duty. He died in the post hospital at Fort Craig, in southern New Mexico, on November 21. In 2007, authorities discovered grave looting at the Fort Craig cemetery and during the investigation the remains of 60 individuals buried there were exhumed. Private Smith was among them, and his remains were reinterred at Santa Fe National Cemetery with full military honors on July 28, 2009 (Section 15A, Site 25).
Frank Toledo, a Navajo and native of New Mexico, enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on October 17, 1942. Cpl. Toledo served as a Navajo Code Talker in the Pacific Theater during World War II, until January 1946. A photograph of Toledo, and cousin, Preston Toledo, relaying coded information was included in a traveling exhibition by the Smithsonian Institution beginning in 2006. This image made them a face of the Code Talkers for many. The exhibit followed the presentation of the Congressional Silver Medal to Code Talkers in 2001. Toledo's honor was posthumous; he died August 14, 1970 (Section V, Site 1780).
Preston Toledo, a Navajo and native of New Mexico, enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on October 17, 1942. PFC Toledo served as a Navajo Code Talker in the Pacific Theater during World War II, until December 26, 1945. A photograph of Toledo, and cousin, Frank Toledo, relaying coded information during the war was included in a traveling exhibition by the Smithsonian Institution beginning in 2006. This image made them a face of the Code Talkers for many. The exhibit followed the presentation of the Congressional Silver Medal to Code Talkers in 2001. Toledo died December 15, 2004 (Section 13, Site 648).
Frank Chee Willetto, Sr., a Navajo and native of New Mexico, enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on March 26, 1943. PFC Willetto served as a Navajo Code Talker in the Pacific Theater during World War II. In 2001 The Navajo Code Talkers were presented with the Congressional Silver Medal. Willetto later served in the government of the Navajo Nation, as a tribal councilman (1974–1986), Supreme Council Judge, and President of the Pueblo Pintado Chapter (1986–2012). He died June 23, 2012 (Section 20, Site 599).
Daniel Yazzie, a Navajo and native of New Mexico, enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on March 26, 1943. Cpl. Yazzie was a Navajo Code Talker in the Pacific Theater during World War II, until February 6, 1946. In 2001 the Navajo Code Talkers were presented with the Congressional Silver Medal. Yazzie's honor was posthumous; he died February 2, 1972 (Section V, Site 1886).
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 Santa Fe National Cemetery.
Visit the Veterans Legacy Program and NCA History Program for additional information. Thank you for your interest.