| Details | |
|---|---|
| Year established | 1942-1943 [1] |
| Country | United States of America |
| Location | Fort Richardson, Anchorage, Alaska |
| Coordinates | , Elevation: 367 feet (112 m)[2] |
| Type | United States National Cemetery |
| Owned by | United States Army |
| Size | 39 acres (0.16 km2)[1] |
| Number of graves | 4,527 (2006)[1] |
| Website | http://www.cem.va.gov/CEM/cems/nchp/ftrichardson.asp |
Fort Richardson National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located on the Fort Richardson United States Army installation near Anchorage, Alaska. It encompasses 39 acres (160,000 m2) and as of the end of 2006, it had 4,527 interments.[1] For much of the year, the grave sites are inaccessible due to snow fall.
Contents |
Established during World War II, the site was set aside to bury soldiers of any nationality who died in Alaska. After the war, many of the remains were disinterred and returned to their places of origin, but some remained in the cemetery, including 235 Japanese soldiers who died in the Battle of the Aleutian Islands which were exhumed in 1953 to be cremated in proper Shinto and Buddhist ceremonies under the supervision of Japanese government representatives. In 1981, Japanese residents of Anchorage erected a marker at the site of their interment.[1]
On May 28, 1984 the cemetery officially became a National Cemetery.