Veterans Administration

The Biloxi National Cemetery in Harrison County, Biloxi, Mississippi was established in March 1934, as part of the VA Medical Center is located on the grounds of the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) and adjacent to the Keesler Field Air Force Base. The Biloxi Cemetery’s first burial, held on March 24, 1934, was Private Edgar A. Ross, 1st Regiment of the Tennessee Infantry. From 1934 to 1973, the purpose of Biloxi Cemetery was to provide a final resting place solely for veterans who died in the adjoining medical center. The allocation of cemetery space in Biloxi remained restricted until the passage of the 1973 National Cemetery Act, which opened the cemetery to all honorably discharged veterans and their dependents, active duty personnel and their dependents regardless of home of residence or where death occurred. The first interment after the facility was designated Biloxi National Cemetery was Chief Master Sergeant Robert E. Callender, U.S. Air Force. Since its establishment in 1934, the cemetery has increased in size twice as the result of land transfers from the VAMC. In 1982, 17 acres added, in 1996, 12 more added to the original 25, for a total of 54 acres. The cemetery is home to a beautiful monument & several memorials. The Biloxi National Cemetery Monument is approximately 30 feet tall and 10 feet in diameter, and erected in May 1941 to commemorate all who have served their country. There are two square granite markers located around the main flagpole; one donated by the National Association of Atomic Veterans on November 9, 1990, in memory of veterans who participated in the U.S. nuclear weapons testing program, and the other by the US Navy Seabees on July 1, 2010, in memory of veterans who served as US Navy Seabees. There is also a memorial plaque with an original poem by First Lieutenant William S. Haynie, U.S. Marine Corps, titled "This Hollowed Place" donated in conjunction with American Legion Post 119 in Gulfport.