At Woodlawn Cemetery, we highly value the sacrifices of our nation’s veterans both alive and dead. More than 310,000 individuals are interred at Woodlawn Cemetery, and this includes a significant number of veterans. We are proud to honor the legacies of our nation’s brave men and women at our beautiful and historic cemetery.
Each Memorial Day, our core of volunteers painstakinly locate the more than 8,600 gravesites of American servicemen and women to place American flags on them in their honor.
Volunteers must fan out across the more than 400+ acres of The Woodlawn Cemetery to locate these graves. When people are buried at Woodlawn, our staff records whether or not they were a veteran.
Veterans gravesites are then mapped out and supplied to our Volunteers along with flags.
This process begins in May, weeks before the holiday, so that is accomplished in time for Memorial Day.
The organization of this project is handled by the Woodlawn Conservancy, the 501c3 organization charged with the mission to enhance Woodlawn Cemetery as a natural, educational, and cultural landmark and to build a comunity of supporters dedicated to preserving Woodlawn for the enjoyment of present and future geneations.
We usually have about 150 volunteers throughout the flagging season. They are members from the local community, businesses, schools and Girl and Boy Scout Troops.
We encourage our neighbors around the New York metropolitan area to learn more about the ways we honor the Veterans buried at Woodlawn.
Our dedication to veteran families
Visitors to Woodlawn can see our commitment to veterans’ families throughout the manicured grounds of our expansive cemetery. Thousands of veterans are interred here, and we are proud to offer many options for high-quality burial and cremation at Woodlawn. Families can feel certain their loved ones will be cared for with dignity and respect. As the years go by, these family members will have a tranquil place to which to return.
Memorializing our veterans
Take a walk around our cemetery, and you’ll notice a lot of commemorative flags and personalized monuments, from cremation benches to stately upright headstones. Many families choose to personalize their loved one’s monument with a meaningful quote or Bible verse. At Woodlawn, we proudly serve veterans of all faiths and are happy to work with families who wish to commemorate their beloved veterans in a specific and special way.
Our legacy of honoring veterans
Since 1863, we’ve made it a priority to create long-lasting memorials for our veterans. There are Revolutionary War veterans interred at Woodlawn, and veterans from conflicts in the Middle East are also commemorated here. Our loyalty to veterans and their families runs deep, and we are proud of our over 150 years of service.
Visiting Woodlawn Cemetery
We welcome visitors to stop by Woodlawn throughout the year for a guided cemetery tourWe encourage guests to peruse our visitor guidelines for more information prior to visiting Woodlawn. We welcome our neighbors throughout the Bronx and beyond to stop by and pay their respects to the courageous veterans laid to rest here.
Our cemetery is open seven days a week from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Contact us to find out more about how we honor veterans at Woodlawn. Our office is closed on Sundays and most holidays. We look forward to welcoming you!