[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 156 (Tuesday, September 26, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S4685]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 365--HONORING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NATIONAL 
     CEMETERY ADMINISTRATION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

  Mr. TESTER (for himself and Mr. Moran) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 365

       Whereas, in 1973, Congress passed the National Cemeteries 
     Act of 1973 (Public Law 93-43), creating an agency within the 
     Veterans Administration to oversee the national cemetery 
     system;
       Whereas, in 2023, the National Cemetery Administration 
     (NCA) celebrates 50 years of upholding a sacred duty to 
     inter, honor, and memorialize those who have served in the 
     United States Armed Forces;
       Whereas the National Cemetery Administration operates and 
     ensures perpetual care of 155 national cemeteries and 34 
     soldiers' lots and monument sites that honor and serve as the 
     final resting places for 4,000,000 veterans representing 
     every era throughout the history of the United States;
       Whereas the National Cemetery Administration provides 
     burial and memorial benefits for eligible veterans and family 
     members, at no cost, including--
       (1) a gravesite or niche in any national cemetery with 
     available space;
       (2) opening and closing of the grave and perpetual care; 
     and
       (3) a government headstone, marker, or medallion, burial 
     flag, and Presidential memorial certificate;

       Whereas the establishment of the Veterans Cemetery Grants 
     Program (VCGP) has furthered the commitment of the United 
     States to the proper burial and honoring of veterans by 
     awarding more than $1,000,000,000 to assist States, 
     Territories, and Tribal governments in establishing, 
     expanding, and operating veterans' cemeteries that complement 
     and help expand burial access;
       Whereas, through the VCGP, the National Cemetery 
     Administration has provided grant funding to 122 veterans' 
     cemeteries in 49 States, Tribal trust lands, and Territories 
     including Guam, Saipan, and Puerto Rico;
       Whereas, in fiscal year 2022, the National Cemetery 
     Administration processed more than 350,000 requests for 
     headstones, markers, and medallions to honor veterans and 
     their loved ones in national, State, Tribal, and private 
     cemeteries, and issued more than 463,000 Presidential 
     memorial certificates to the family members of veterans;
       Whereas the sacred landscapes in national cemeteries and 
     grant-funded veterans' cemeteries serve as places of solemn 
     remembrance to convey the stories of generations of veterans 
     encompassing the entirety of United States history, including 
     529 recipients of the Medal of Honor and those honored by 
     nearly 1,370 military memorial monuments;
       Whereas the consistent commitment of the National Cemetery 
     Administration to ``national shrine'' standards of care for 
     50 years has preserved the beauty of the sites that veterans 
     and their families deserve, welcoming more than 1,700,000 
     visitors at national cemeteries in fiscal year 2022, and has 
     immortalized those who lay at rest on those sacred grounds, 
     ensuring that all visitors, past and present, are able to 
     bear witness to the serene and historic shrines and leave 
     with a sense of awe and gratitude for the sacrifices those 
     heroes made for the United States;
       Whereas the National Cemetery Administration has been 
     awarded a score of 97, the highest achieved score on record, 
     in the reputable American Customer Satisfaction Index, 
     leading all organizations, public or private, for the seventh 
     consecutive time, a testament to the exemplary service of 
     National Cemetery Administration team members to veterans and 
     their families;
       Whereas the National Cemetery Administration established 
     the Veterans Legacy Program (VLP), which has funded 35 
     programs that engage students and teachers in communities 
     large and small to further educate themselves and their 
     communities on the legacies and service of veterans by using 
     the expansive resources within the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs, resulting in the production of over 2,500 veteran 
     biographies, 50 documentary videos, and over 100 lesson 
     plans; and
       Whereas the National Cemetery Administration continues to 
     memorialize the stories and sacrifices of veterans through 
     the Veterans Legacy Memorial (VLM), a digital interactive 
     platform created to preserve the memories of nearly 5,000,000 
     veterans laid to rest in cemeteries managed and funded by the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense 
     cemeteries, and National Park Service cemeteries: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) applauds the National Cemetery Administration, on its 
     50th anniversary, having stood firm in its mission of 
     ensuring proper final resting places adhering to national 
     shrine standards that commemorate the extraordinary 
     commitment of veterans and their families to the United 
     States;
       (2) recognizes that the National Cemetery Administration 
     has been a driving force in the preservation of, and passing 
     down, the heroic heritage and stories of members of the 
     United States Armed Forces of all backgrounds, from all 
     corners of the United States, and in educating future 
     generations on the importance of the service and sacrifice of 
     veterans; and
       (3) commends the individuals who work for the National 
     Cemetery Administration for their continued excellence 
     ensuring that the veterans of the United States are forever 
     honored and remembered in the hallowed grounds of the 
     national cemeteries of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

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