National Cemetery Administration
Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery
200 Duell Road
Schuylerville, NY 12871
Phone: 518-581-9128
FAX: 518-583-6975
Kiosk: Yes
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Visitation Hours: Open daily from dawn to dusk.
Office Hours: Monday thru Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Closed federal holidays.
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.
From Interstate 87 take exit 12 East (Route 67, Malta) and proceed east on Route 67 to the intersection of Route 9. Turn left on Route 9 and proceed north to the intersection of Route 9P. Turn right onto Route 9P and proceed east along Saratoga Lake to the intersection of Route 423. Turn right onto Route 423 and proceed east to the intersection of Route 4. Turn left onto Route 4 and proceed north. Then turn left onto Wilbur Road. Proceed on Wilbur Road to intersection of Duell Road. Turn right onto Duell Road and follow to 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.
To volunteer at the national cemetery, please complete VA Form 10-7055 and fax it to the cemetery at the number above.
Military Funeral Honors
Military funeral honors as organized under the Department of Defense military funeral honors program "Honoring Those Who Served," should be arranged through the funeral home. Military Funeral Honors consist of a folded flag and presentation.
Local and nationwide numbers for Military Funeral Honors:
U.S. Air Force
Local: 518-344-2586
Fax: 518-344-2624
Nationwide: 781-225-5900
U.S. Army
Nationwide: 888-325-1601
U.S. Marine Corps
Nationwide: 866-826-3628
U.S. Navy
Nationwide: 860-694-3475
U.S. Coast Guard
Phone: 617-990-6249
Cemetery Honor Guard
The Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery has an Honor Guard Association, which consists of five squads of 12–18 volunteers each. The principal duty of the Honor Guard is to ensure that every veteran receives a proper military burial service. This service is available at no charge to all eligible veterans. Cemetery Honor Guard and Military Funeral Honors can work together. This consist of a rifle salute, flag presentation and the playing of Taps. Cemetery Honor Guard should be arranged through the funeral home.
Questions can be directed by phone: 518-226-0840
For educational materials and additional information on this cemetery, please visit the Education section, located below.
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. Floral pick up is the second and fourth Tuesday of each month.
Potted plants of any size and permanent vases are not permitted.
Artificial flowers are permitted on gravesites from October 10 through April 15 and the 10 day period before and after Easter, and are subject to floral pick ups when they become unsightly or to facilitate cemetery operations.
Christmas Wreaths, grave blankets and other seasonal arrangements may be placed on graves beginning December 1 and will be picked up by January 20 (weather conditions permitting).
Permanent plantings, statues, vigil lights, attachments to headstones/markers, flag holders, flags, breakable objects and similar items are not permitted on the graves. The Department of Veterans Affairs does not permit adornments that are considered offensive, inconsistent with the dignity of the cemetery or considered hazardous to cemetery personnel. For example, items incorporating beads or wires may become entangled in mowers or other equipment and cause injury.
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.
Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery is New York State's sixth national veteran's cemetery and the 116th in the National Cemetery Administration.
More than 1.4 million veterans live in New York and more than 225,000 reside in the Albany/Saratoga area. The first phase of construction, encompassing 60 acres of the 351-acre cemetery, included 5,000 gravesites, 2,000 lawn crypts, 1,500 columbaria niches and 700 garden niches for cremated remains. At full capacity, Solomon-Saratoga can provide burial space for 175,500 veterans and eligible dependents.
On January 24, 2002, President George W. Bush signed legislation renaming Saratoga National Cemetery as the Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery. Congressman Solomon was known as the champion of veterans' causes. Among his accomplishments, he spearheaded the effort to create the cabinet-level Department of Veterans Affairs and successfully led a drive to establish the national cemetery in which he is now interred.
Monuments and Memorials
The ship's bell from the USS Saratoga, CV-3, was installed as a memorial at the cemetery in 1999. The USS Saratoga was launched in 1925 and spent 20 years at sea, including action during World War II. It was taken out of service and destroyed in 1946. New York Congressman Dean P. Taylor requested the bell in 1946. It was first displayed at Saratoga Spring's Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Memorial Home, dedicated on Veteran's Day in 1949. The bell was later restored and permanently mounted at the Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery.
An American gray granite memorial was erected in 2001 to honor veterans from Saratoga County, NY. The monument features two granite slabs inscribed with approximately 980 names of individuals who gave their lives for their country. A granite obelisk is at the forefront of the monument.
A pyramidal black-mist granite memorial for Congressman Gerald B.H. Solomon, who was instrumental in the national cemetery's establishment and a proponent of veteran causes, was erected in 2002, the year the cemetery was renamed in his honor.
A granite and bronze memorial was erected in honor of U.S. submariner veterans on October 19, 2002.
The cemetery also has a walkway that features a number of memorials erected by various veterans and fraternal organizations in honor of events and fallen comrades.
The American Veterans (AMVETS) donated a carillon in 1999.
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:
Sergeant Thomas A. Baker (World War II). He received the Medal of Honor posthumously for service in the U.S. Army, Company A, 105th Infantry, 27th Infantry Division, in recognition of gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life at Saipan, Mariana Islands, June 19–July 7, 1944. Baker died July 7, 1944, and is buried in Section 8, Site 530.
Technical Sergeant Peter J. Dalessandro (World War II). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company E, 39th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division, for actions at Kalterherberg, Germany, December 22, 1944. Dalessandro died in 1997 and is buried in Section G12, Site 1.
Specialist Fourth Class Raymond R. Wright (Vietnam). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company A, 3rd Battalion, 60th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division, for actions in Ap Bac Zone, Republic of Vietnam, May 2, 1967. Wright died in 1999 and is buried in Section 7, Site 1035.
Other Burials
U.S. Representative Gerald Brooks Hunt Solomon, interred October 31, 2001 (Section 20, Site 7). Cemetery renamed in his honor.
We are developing educational content for this national cemetery, and will post new materials as they become available. Visit the Veterans Legacy Program and NCA History Program for additional information. Thank you for your interest.
