Dallas Fort Worth National Cemetery

 

Dallas Fort Worth National Cemetery is a somber and sobering reminder of the sacrifices our nation’s service members make in defending our freedom.  Nearly a million men and women have died serving our country in the U.S. Armed Forces since the Revolutionary War.  And, Dallas is home to one of the nation’s newest national cemeteries – Dallas Fort Worth National Cemetery was dedicated in May 2000.  Since then, more than 27,000 men and women have been buried in the 638 acre parcel on the eastern shore of Mountain Creek Lake. 

The cemetery features a memorial walkway that is lined with more than 50 memorials donated by various organizations designed to honor America’s war dead.  As of April 2010, nearly 5.400 Americans and nearly 500 Texans have died in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.  And, many are buried at the Dallas Fort Worth National Cemetery.

 

The average Texan killed while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan was just 25 years old and the oldest to die was 50.  The cemetery is open daily from sunrise to sunset.  Special events are scheduled each May – for Memorial Day, each November – for Veterans’ Day and each December – for Wreaths Across America.  Wreaths Across American places Christmas wreaths on each grave at the 130 national cemeteries in the United States.

Hello Dallas Tip:

Don't stay too late near sunset or the gate will be closed.  The cemetery's caretaker makes sure everyone has left before he closes the gate for good each night. 

- by Constance Hannon, Dallas Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Constance Hannon

Connie Hannon is a freelance writer living in Dallas, Texas. She is a native Texan and has lived in Dallas and Washington, D.C. for the majority of her life. Connie graduated from Pitzer College in Claremont, California, and received her masters in Journalism and Public Affairs from American University. She was a staffer on Capitol Hill and worked in CNN’s Washington Bureau, and with most of the television stations in the Dallas market.