Biloxi National Cemetery
101 Memorial Drive
Biloxi, MS 39531
[Do not mail items to this address]
Phone: 228-388-6668
FAX: 228-594-1021
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 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.
Directions from Gulfport/Biloxi International Airport: Biloxi National Cemetery, take I-10 East to Exit 46 A (Biloxi /Keesler Air Force Base) onto I-110 South. Take Exit 1B (Gulfport-West). Go west on Highway 90, exactly three miles and stay in the right lane. Turn right on Veterans Avenue, go through one signal light and enter VA property. Take the first road on the right after coming in the main entrance and you will be at the Biloxi National 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.
There are certain instances when you should contact Biloxi National Cemetery directly, such as:
- Scheduling an Active Duty interment
- Cancelling or rescheduling an interment
- Changing information originally supplied to the National Cemetery Scheduling Office
Special Events: Memorial Day (May) Wreaths Across America and Wreaths for Biloxi National Cemetery (December). Please contact the office for dates.
General Information Kiosk: Located outside the Administration/Public Information Building, it's available during visitation hours. The Kiosk contains the names of veterans and their eligible dependents buried at the cemetery. The Kiosk will generate a printed map with the name of the decedent and their grave location.
Military Funeral Honors: The local military honor groups are comprised of a combination of active duty and full-time reserve members who provide military honors to all veterans buried at Biloxi National Cemetery. Funeral Directors or family members must call to schedule honors:
- U.S. Air Force 228-377-1986
- U.S. Army 337-531-6316
- U.S. Coast Guard 703-872-6647 or 571-266-2375
- U.S. Marines 866-826-3628
- U.S. Navy 904-542-9807
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. Please limit your gravesite arrangements to:
- One arrangement for cremation sites
- Two arrangements for casketed sites
Fresh cut flowers may be placed on graves throughout the year. They will be removed as soon as they become unsightly. Flowers should be placed in a temporary flower container. Temporary flower containers are available and are located throughout the cemetery in large black containers labeled, "VASES."
During the growing season, all floral items will be removed from graves weekly for mowing and trimming purposes.
November – February: Artificial flowers are acceptable only during this time and will be removed when they become unsightly.
December 1 – January 1: Christmas wreaths and grave blankets are permitted only during this time and may not be larger than 2 ft. by 3 ft.
Easter and Memorial Day: Potted plants will only be permitted on graves 10 days before through 10 days after Easter and Memorial Day.
Plantings are not permitted at any time.
Floral items and other types of decorations will not be secured or adhered to headstones, markers or niche covers at any time.
Statues, vigil lights, fencing or border, breakable objects of any nature, alcoholic beverages, items of high value (personal or monetary), any adornment considered offensive, photographs and similar commemorative items are not permitted on graves at any time.
All items become U.S. Government property and will be disposed of according to policy. Please be aware that the National Cemetery is not responsible for maintaining, replacing and/or safeguarding floral items placed on gravesites.
These regulations may be changed or updated without prior notification.
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.
Biloxi National Cemetery is located in Harrison County, about five miles west of the center of Biloxi on the grounds of the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) and adjacent to the Keesler Field Air Force Base in Mississippi.
The cemetery was established in March 1934 as part of the VA Medical Center. Biloxi Cemetery's first burial was held on March 24,1934, with the interment of Private Edgar A. Ross, 1st Regiment of the Tennessee Infantry.
From 1934 to 1973 the purpose of Biloxi Cemetery was to provide a final resting place solely for veterans who died in the adjoining medical center. The allocation of cemetery space in Biloxi remained restricted until the passage of the 1973 National Cemetery Act, which opened the cemetery to all honorably discharged veterans and their dependents, active duty personnel and their dependents regardless of home of residence or where death occurred. The first interment after the facility was designated Biloxi National Cemetery was Chief Master Sergeant Robert E. Callender, U.S. Air Force.
Since its establishment in 1934, Biloxi's has increased in size twice as the result of land transfers from the VAMC. In 1982, 17 acres were added to the original 25 and, in 1996, 12 more were added for a total of 54 acres.
Monuments and Memorials
Biloxi National Cemetery Monument is approximately 30 feet tall and 10 feet in diameter; it was erected in May 1941 to commemorate all who have served their country.
A square granite marker located around the main flag pole was donated by the National Association of Atomic Veterans on November 9, 1990, in memory of veterans who participated in the U.S. nuclear weapons testing program.
A square granite marker located around the main flag pole was donated by the U.S. Navy Seabees on July 1, 2010, in memory of veterans who served as U.S. Navy Seabees.
A memorial plaque with an original poem by First Lieutenant William S. Haynie, U.S. Marine Corps, titled "This Hollowed Place" was donated in conjunction with American Legion Post 119 in Gulfport, MS.
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:
Colonel Ira C. Welborn (Spanish-American War). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, 9th U.S. Infantry, for actions in Santiago, Cuba, July 2, 1898. Welborn died in 1956 and is buried in Section 12, Row 4, Site 12.
Other Burials
Six unknown soldiers who served in the Mexican-American War are buried in Section H, grave 4 and 5, and Section DD, graves 25, 26, 27 and 28. They were reinterred at Biloxi National Cemetery on Veterans Day 1989 and Memorial Day 2010, respectively. These soldiers died at Camp Jefferson Davis on Greenwood Island in 1848. The camp was established as a homecoming port for soldiers returning to the United States from the Mexican-American War. The burials became visible on the island as a result of beach erosion. Archaeological efforts in the late 1970s–1980s and again in 2008–2009 resulted in the identification of the men as U.S soldiers.
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.
