Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery

The Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery covers 982 acres (397 ha) in Elwood, Illinois. It is located approximately 50 miles (80 km) southwest of Chicago, Illinois. When fully completed, it will provide 400,000 burial spaces.

President Barack Obama on Memorial Day, May 31, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

The cemetery was dedicated in 1999 by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration. It was the 117th national cemetery dedicated under the administration. The cemetery is on the grounds of the former Joliet Army Ammunition Plant site, which was formerly known as the Joliet Arsenal.

The cemetery is named after President Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States and founder of the National Cemetery system and who is buried at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois.

In 2015 the first American federally approved monument honoring LGBT veterans was dedicated at the cemetery.[1]

Notable burials

References

  1. "Monument to LGBT veterans dedicated in Elwood". abc7chicago.com. Retrieved 2015-05-26.

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