GENERAL INFORMATION

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HISTORICAL INFORMATION

Long Island National Cemetery is located in the community of Farmingdale on Long Island in Suffolk County, N.Y. Establishment of the cemetery in 1936 reflected one aspect of the rapid urbanization of American society in the post-World War I period. With nearly five million veterans of that conflict alone eligible for interment in a national cemetery, it was evident that existing facilities in the vicinity of large urban areas were insufficient. The situation was particularly critical in New York City and its environs. The only federal cemetery in the area, Cypress Hills National Cemetery in Brooklyn, established in 1862, had limited acreage available for burials. In response, in 1936 Congress authorized the Secretary of War to purchase suitable land to enlarge the existing cemetery. After considerable research and numerous site investigations, the War Department instead purchased 175 acres from Pinelawn Cemetery for the construction and development of a new national cemetery.

The lack of available gravesites in Cypress Hills National Cemetery made it necessary to develop the new facility rapidly, and the land was sufficiently cleared to permit the first burials in March 1937. Moreover, between March and November that year, a total of 426 interments were made. During its first eight years, Long Island National Cemetery held 10,167 interments, mostly veterans of World War II and the Korean War.

The section of the cemetery containing World War II POWs includes the graves of 37 Germans and 54 Italians. The remains of the 36 unknown Italian POWs are interred in a single mass grave; they were among 1,800 prisoners onboard a British ship en route from northeast to northwest Algeria when a torpedo struck the ship. Many prisoners confined in the holds were injured, killed outright or drowned. The initial search of the ship failed to locate all casualties, and after the ship returned to the United States, remains of another 36 prisoners were recovered.

Monuments and Memorials
A granite memorial to Fallen Comrades of Nassau & Suffolk Counties was erected around 1940.

Two memorials have been installed since 2000: Chosin Few Memorial (Korea) and the AMVETS All Veterans Memorial.
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NOTABLE BURIALS

Medal of Honor Recipients
Landsman Thomas Mitchell, U.S. Navy. Aboard the U.S.S. Richmond, Shanghai, China, Nov. 17, 1879 (Section M, Grave 27661).

Gunner's Mate Third Class John Everetts, U.S. Navy. Aboard the U.S.S. Cushing, Feb. 11, 1898 (Section DSS, Grave 36A).

Chief Boatswain's Mate Lauritz Nelson, (War with Spain) U.S. Navy. Aboard the U.S.S. Nashville, Cienfuegos, Cuba, May 11, 1898 (Section DSS, Grave 2).

Seaman First Class Heinrich Behnke, U.S. Navy. Aboard the U.S.S. Iowa, Jan. 25,1905 (Section DSS, Grave 20A).

Boatswain's Mate William Henry Gowan, U.S. Navy. At Coquimbo, Chile, Jan. 20, 1909 (Section DSS, Grave 7).

Seaman James Aloysius Walsh, (Mexican Campaign) U.S. Navy. Aboard the U.S.S. Florida, April 21-22, 1914 (Section DSS, Grave 47A).

First Lieutenant Bernard James Ray, (World War II), U.S. Army, Company F, 8th Infantry, 4th Infantry Division. At Hurtgen Forest near Schevenhutte, Germany, Nov. 17, 1944 (Section DSS, Grave 6).

Gunner's Mate Third Class Robert Galbraith, (Philippine Insurrection), U.S. Navy. At El Pardo, Cebu, Philippine Islands, Nov. 12-13, 1899 (Section DSS, Grave 17).

Chief Watertender August Holtz, U.S. Navy. Aboard U.S.S. North Dakota, Sept. 8, 1910 (Section F, Grave 916).

Captain Sydney G. Gumpertz, (World War I), U.S. Army, Company E, 132nd Infantry, 33rd Division. At Bois-de-Forges, France, Sept. 29, 1918 (Section DSS, Grave 65).

Private Michael Valente, (World War I), U.S. Army, Company D, 107th Infantry, 27th Division. At Ronssoy, France, Sept. 29, 1918 (Section DSS, Grave 60A).

Corporal Anthony Casamento, (World War II), U.S. Army, Company D, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division. At Guadalcanal, Nov. 1, 1942 (Section DSS, Grave 79A).

Staff Sergeant Joseph Edward Schaefer, (World War II), U.S. Army, Company I, 18th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division. At Near Stolberg, Germany, Sept. 24, 1944 (Section DSS, Grave 80).

Second Lieutenant Charles William Shea, (World War II) U.S. Army, Company F, 350th Infantry, 88th Infantry Division. Near Mount Damiano, Italy, May 12, 1944 (Section DSS, Grave 71A).

Private First Class William Henry Thompson, Company M, 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. In Haman, Korea, Aug. 23, 1950 (Section DSS, Grave 19).

First Lieutenant Stephen Edward Karopczyc, (Vietnam) Company A, 35th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division. In Kontrm Province, Republic of Vietnam, March 12, 1967(Section DSS, Grave 5A).

Specialist Fifth Class John James Kedenberg, (Vietnam), 1st Special Forces, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne). In Republic of Vietnam, June 13, 1968 (Section 2H, Grave 3684).

Private First Class Carlos James Lozada, (Vietnam) Company A, 503rd Infantry, 173rd Airborne Brigade. Near Dak To, Kontum Province, Republic of Vietnam, Nov. 20, 1967 (Section T, Grave 2295).

First Lieutenant John Earl Warren, (Vietnam), Company C, 22nd Infantry, 25th Infantry Division. At Tay Ninh Province, Republic of Vietnam, Jan. 14. 1969 (Section O, Grave 33144).

Other Burials
GROUP BURIALS: Among the interments in Long Island National Cemetery are 39 group burials containing the remains of 112 veterans. For these individuals, the circumstances of death were such that their remains could not be identified for separate burials. These honored dead, who fought and died together, are united once more in the many group burials. Specially designed government headstones bearing their names, ranks, and dates of death designate the burial places of these dead. The largest group burial in the cemetery is one in which the individually unidentifiable remains of ten servicemen are interred. This group burial is the final resting place of three officers, one technical sergeant, two sergeants, and four corporals, all members of the U.S. Army Air Corps, who died together during World War II on May 4, 1945.

Another group burial marks the final resting place of four American servicemen and two members of the British Armed Forces. Their plane crashed in the Burmese jungle in April 1945, and attempts to locate the wreckage were fruitless. It was not until 1957 that the Army, acting upon information supplied by Burmese tribesmen who had found a wreck in the jungle, finally discovered the place and its ill-fated passengers. After an agreement with the families of the deceased were made, the remains of the six men were interred on Feb. 5, 1958 in Section M, Grave 27188.

In 1948 the remains of 16 Civil War soldiers of the 14th Rhode Island Heavy Artillery were removed from the cemetery at Fort Greble, R.I., and reinterred in Long Island National Cemetery. Additional burials were made in 1952 when 104 remains from Fort McKinley, Maine, were reinterred.
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FLORAL/GROUNDS REGULATIONS

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. Natural cut flowers may be placed on graves at any time of the year. They will be removed when they become unsightly or when it becomes necessary to facilitate cemetery operations such as mowing.

Artificial and potted floral items are recommended during the period of Oct. through April 25 only. All floral items will be removed by cemetery labor on a regular basis as noted on all posted floral collections signs.

Christmas items and other seasonal items may be placed on graves the weekend after Thanksgiving and remain on the grave until Jan. 15. A general clean-up will begin on or about Jan. 15 each year, weather permitting, and will continue until all seasonal decorations have been removed from the graves.

Potted plants (except as stated above,) flags, permanent planting, statues, vigil lights, glass object of any kind, and similar commemorative items are not permitted on graves in national cemeteries. All unauthorized items will be removed and disposed of by cemetery labor.

Presently we can no longer accept the donation and/or planting of trees.

All items including permanent flower containers (vases), placed on gravesites become the property of United States Government and will be disposed of under Federal Regulations. The Long Island National Cemetery is not responsible for anything placed on the gravesites. Families, friends and next of kin should be aware that these items are subject to damage by cemetery equipment and vandals. These items will not be replaced or repaired by the Government if they are damaged, lost or stolen. Placement of all items on the gravesite is at your own risk.

For further information, please contact the Administrative Office at (631) 454-4949. These regulations have been put in place to assist in your selection of floral items as well as to assist our staff in proper maintenance of our National Shrine.
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