GENERAL INFORMATION

The Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery was dedicated and opened for burials on May 12, 2000. The cemetery is situated on a 638.5-acre parcel of land that overlooks picturesque Mountain Creek Lake. The gently rolling hills provide a pastoral setting for visitors as they proceed along the central boulevard to the small lake adjacent to the assembly area and committal shelters.

The Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery has a Public Information Center (PIC) where visitors can obtain information from an automated KIOSK or from volunteers who staff the PIC seven days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The KIOSK contains the names of veterans and their eligible dependents buried at the cemetery. The KIOSK will generate a printed map with the name of the decedent and their grave location.

All funeral processions meet with their family, clergy, and cemetery representative at the PIC and then proceed to the designated shelter or gravesite.

Military Funeral Honors
Military funeral honors are provided by a Joint Honor Guard whose members consist of active duty and/or full time reservists from the Joint Reserve Base-Carswell, Fort Worth, Texas. Full military honors are provided to active duty and retired members, a two or four-person detail is provided to fold and present the flag to the next-of-kin of veterans.
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HISTORICAL INFORMATION

Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery is the sixth national cemetery in Texas and the 118th in the national cemetery system.

Currently, more than 1.5 million veterans live in the state of Texas and approximately 460,000 reside in the cemetery’s service area. The first phase of construction encompassed 110 acres of the 638-acre cemetery for 12,000 projected gravesites, 2,000 lawn crypts and 2,200 columbaria/garden niches for cremated remains. Fully developed, Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery will provide burial space for 280,000 eligible veterans and dependents.

Monuments and Memorials
Dallas-Ft. Worth National Cemetery features a memorial walkway lined with a variety of memorials that honor America’s veterans, donated by various organizations. As of 2003, there were 42 memorials at Dallas-Ft. Worth National Cemetery—most commemorating events and troops of the 20th century wars.
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NOTABLE BURIALS


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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 flowers and potted plants will be permitted on graves during periods when their presence will not interfere with grounds maintenance. As a general rule, artificial flowers and potted plants will be allowed on graves for a period extending 10 days before through 10 days after Easter Sunday and Memorial Day.

Christmas wreaths, grave blankets and other seasonal adornments may be placed on graves from Dec. 1 through Jan. 20. They may not be secured to headstones or markers.

Permanent plantings, statues, vigil lights, breakable objects and similar items are not permitted on the graves. The Department of Veterans Affairs does not permit adornments that are considered offensive, inconsistent with the dignity of the cemetery or considered hazardous to cemetery personnel. For example, items incorporating beads or wires may become entangled in mowers or other equipment and cause injury.

Permanent items removed from graves will be placed in an inconspicuous holding area for one month prior to disposal. Decorative items removed from graves remain the property of the donor but are under the custodianship of the cemetery. If not retrieved by the donor, they are then governed by the rules for disposal of federal property.
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