 Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, Memorial Day, 2010. | |
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Year established | 1926 |
| Location | San Antonio, Texas |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 29°28′33″N 98°25′52″W / 29.475862°N 98.431041°W |
| Type | United States National Cemetery |
| Size | 154.7 acres (62.6 ha) |
| Number of graves | 121,000 |
A crew works to straighten grave stones at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.
Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in the city of San Antonio in Bexar County, Texas. It encompasses 154.7 acres (62.6 ha), and as of the end of 2008, had 120,982 interments.[1]
History[]
Although the Army post in the area was established in 1875, and construction of Fort Sam Houston began the following year, no burials were made in the area that is currently the cemetery until 1926. In 1931 60 acres (24 ha) were added as an addition to San Antonio National Cemetery. In 1937, the addition became a National Cemetery in its own right, renamed Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. In 1947 several other forts in Texas, including Fort McIntosh, were closed and their cemetery interments were transferred to Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.[citation needed]
Interred at the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery are 140 Axis prisoners of war (POWs) from World War II who died in captivity. 133 are German, 4 are Italian, and 3 are Japanese. These POWs were disinterred from various Texas prisoner of war camps and reburied at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.[citation needed] Among these POWs is Hugo Krauss, a German murdered by fellow German POWs at Camp Hearne in 1943.[citation needed] When originally interred, these graves were isolated from the American graves. There are two POW graves that have been erroneously documented as "Nazi" graves because they are marked with the Knight's Cross, a symbol often associated with Nazism. In the context of these POW headstones, the Knight's Cross markings indicate that these two soldiers were awarded the Knight's Cross, one of Germany's highest military awards. These soldiers were probably members of Germany's famed "Afrika Korps", and may have been taken prisoner in North Africa.[citation needed]
German POW marker, Knights cross winner
Italian POW marker
Japanese POW marker
Notable interments[]
- Staff Sergeant Lucian Adams, Medal of Honor recipient for action in World War II.
- Colonel Doc Blanchard, Heisman Trophy winner for 1945
- Major General Roscoe B. Woodruff, World War II commander of 77th and 24th Infantry Divisions and VII Corps in both European and Pacific theaters.
- Major General Emil F. Reinhardt, World War II commander of 69th Infantry Division and IX Corps.
- Brigadier General John L. Pierce, World War II commander of 16th Armored Division in European theater.
- Colonel Charlie Beckwith Creator of 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (Delta Force).
- Master Sergeant Roy Benavidez, Medal of Honor recipient for action in the Vietnam War.
- Colonel Cecil Hamilton Bolton, Medal of Honor recipient for action in World War II.
- Staff Sergeant William J. Bordelon, Medal of Honor recipient for action at the Battle of Tarawa in World War II.
- Lieutenant General Charles P. Hall, commanded the 93rd Infantry Division and XI Corps in World War II.
- Platoon Sergeant William George Harrell, Medal of Honor recipient for action at Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II.
- General Henry I. Hodes, U.S. Army four-star general
- Second Lieutenant Lloyd Herbert Hughes, Medal of Honor recipient for action in Operation Tidal Wave in World War II.
- Major General Harry H. Johnson, commander of the 2nd Cavalry Division and 93rd Infantry Division during World War 2.
- Private Milton A. Lee, Medal of Honor, Medal of Honor recipient for action in the Vietnam War.
- Sergeant First Class Jose M. Lopez, Medal of Honor recipient for action in World War II.
- Captain William Randolph, namesake of Randolph Air Force Base.
- First Lieutenant James E. Robinson, Jr., Medal of Honor recipient for action in World War II.
- Chief Warrant Officer Louis R. Rocco, Medal of Honor recipient for action in the Vietnam War.
- Master Sergeant Cleto Luna Rodriguez, Medal of Honor recipient for action in World war II.
- Frank Tejeda, US Congressman.
- Colonel Seth Lathrop Weld, Medal of Honor recipient for action in the Philippine-American War.
- Colonel Gerald Evan Williams, Commander of the 391st Bombardment Group, 1943-1945
- 27 Buffalo Soldiers who served during the Indian Wars.
- 140 Axis prisoners of war from World War II.
- 4 British Royal Air Force officers from World War II.[2]
Notable civilians[]
- Robert Gottschall (1915-2005). Actor. Section CAA Site 61.
- Gustavo "Gus" C. Garcia (1915-1964). Mexican-American civil rights attorney.
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ Department of Veteran Affairs website
- ↑ [1] CWGC Cemetery report. Breakdown obtained from casualty record.
External links[]
The original article can be found at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery and the edit history here.