COL. PETER PERKINS, USMC (Ret), always has planned for Arlington National Cemetery, Va., to be his fi nal resting spot. Now, he’s afraid he won’t get that chance.
“I’ve had a lot of friends buried
there, particularly a lot of the men in the battalion I fought with in the ’60s in Vietnam,” Perkins says. “I’ve always had the desire to be there with my brothers in arms.” But burial space is fi lling up rapidly,
leaving the Army and Congress look- ing for ways to keep Arlington active well into the future. Changes could include developing additional land ex- pansions or tightening eligibility rules, which Perkins fears could leave him disqualifi ed from burial there. “I’ve gone to a lot of funeral ser-
vices at VA and civilian cemeteries, but it’s never quite the same as [at] Arlington,” he says. “As a colonel, I still would like to have a full-honors mili- tary funeral, starting up at the chapel and moving down into the cemetery.” Arlington already has the most
stringent requirements for in- ground burial of all U.S. national cemeteries. But with roughly 27 funerals a day, the cemetery’s 624 acres of hallowed ground are near- ing capacity. Offi cials estimate above- and in-ground space could be exhausted by the early 2040s. Now that the Army has completed
a yearlong study on Arlington’s future, retirees like Perkins anxiously are awaiting fi nal decisions from Congress that could aff ect their plans. “For those of us that did a full ca-
reer in the service and had always expected to be buried at Arlington, it’s pretty distressing when you see some of the options they’re playing with,” Perkins says. “Now somebody might tell [us], ‘You’re going to be buried in the local national cemetery.’ That’s not what I desire.”
PHOTO: ZACK FRANK/SHUTTERSTOCK
“No easy options” A January report on space constraints from the cemetery’s advisory com- mittee, which includes several retired military offi cers, had a clear message for anyone hoping to be buried there. “With current policies, veterans of the Gulf War, Somalia, [Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Endur- ing Freedom] eras cannot expect to be buried at Arlington National Cem- etery — even if awarded the Medal of Honor,” the report states. That leaves offi cials with two op-
tions: expand the cemetery by procur- ing more land around it or change the burial and inurnment requirements. “There is no doubt that a change
must occur if the cemetery is to remain open for fi rst interments well into the future,” states a February memo on the report sent to Congress by acting- Army Secretary Robert Speer. With more than 21 million veter-
ans alive today, Arlington only will be able to service about 1 percent of them and their families, the memo states. As offi cials weigh next steps, Col. Tim Cahoon, USAF (Ret), says he hopes they’ll consider feedback from all groups that will be aff ected. “Even a compromise will not satisfy all, and likely some will not be satis- fi ed at all,” Cahoon says. “Potential so- lutions should include representatives from many varied military service groups that include those currently serving, recently served, long-time- ago served, and family members.” Speer’s report to Congress didn’t include specifi c recommendations. He acknowledged the complexity of the issue and says there are “no easy op- tions,” according to the memo.
MAY 2017 MILITARY OFFICER 57
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