03-11-2022, 08:52 PM
A recent Congressional Research Service (CRS) publication may add to the confusion some lawmakers
face regarding the future of Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) – yet another reason to make your voice
heard at this critical stage. CRS updated its defense primer on ANC in March, highlighting proposed
eligibility changes under legal review as part of the federal rule-making process. Of concern is a potentially
misleading entry for lawmakers that indicates those who have scheduled ANC to be their final resting
place will not be impacted. Per the report, “According to the Army, revised eligibility at ANC will not
affect previously scheduled burial services.”
Some lawmakers and their staffs could interpret this statement incorrectly, thinking those who have
long planned for ANC as their final resting place would be grandfathered under the old rules.
Unfortunately, with no current reservation system, this statement only applies to those who have passed
and are awaiting their scheduled date for interment or inurnment. In other words, if the proposals are
implemented, many 20-year retirees and other veterans will need to change their long-held end-of-life
plans. But there is a way to continue the honor and prestige of ANC as it reaches capacity: Congress can
designate a new national cemetery as part of the FY 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
While the proposed eligibility changes are under review, current eligibility standards remain. Reaching
out to your members of Congress today is key, as members and staffers develop their NDAA
recommendations and finalize the House and Senate drafts. With no change to eligibility, even with the
planned southern expansion, ANC will reach capacity by 2050. A 2017 report to Congress presented
options, other than reducing eligibility, to maintain current operations. Option 3.2.2.3 in the report would
require legislation to establish a new DoD national cemetery in a new location:
“ANC, as it operates today, cannot endure forever in its current space. Looking 100-200 years into the
future, how and where will we honor our Nation’s heroes? Another option, which the Army recognizes
would represent a significant change, is establishing a new Department of Defense-run national cemetery
in another location. This would mean building a new cemetery in a suitable place that would offer the
same burial honors as ANC. While it is impossible to recreate the aesthetic appeal and history of ANC,
this new cemetery could grow to become iconic over time, in the same way that ANC has gradually
evolved over the past 150 years. Operating ANC as an active burial ground for as long as possible would
allow a phase of overlap and continuity while establishing the new space.”
It’s not too late for Congress to intervene. And the path forward may be clearer with a new Defense
Advisory Council on Arlington National Cemetery – Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin released all of the
council’s members as part of a zero-based review of DoD advisory boards. The old board had supported
the eligibility changes. Readers are requested to contact their legislators and ask a replacement for
Arlington be designated. This can easily be done by utilizing the MOAA TAKE Action prepared editable
message at https://takeaction.moaa.org/moaa/app/wri...tId=511221. Make your
voice heard today.
face regarding the future of Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) – yet another reason to make your voice
heard at this critical stage. CRS updated its defense primer on ANC in March, highlighting proposed
eligibility changes under legal review as part of the federal rule-making process. Of concern is a potentially
misleading entry for lawmakers that indicates those who have scheduled ANC to be their final resting
place will not be impacted. Per the report, “According to the Army, revised eligibility at ANC will not
affect previously scheduled burial services.”
Some lawmakers and their staffs could interpret this statement incorrectly, thinking those who have
long planned for ANC as their final resting place would be grandfathered under the old rules.
Unfortunately, with no current reservation system, this statement only applies to those who have passed
and are awaiting their scheduled date for interment or inurnment. In other words, if the proposals are
implemented, many 20-year retirees and other veterans will need to change their long-held end-of-life
plans. But there is a way to continue the honor and prestige of ANC as it reaches capacity: Congress can
designate a new national cemetery as part of the FY 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
While the proposed eligibility changes are under review, current eligibility standards remain. Reaching
out to your members of Congress today is key, as members and staffers develop their NDAA
recommendations and finalize the House and Senate drafts. With no change to eligibility, even with the
planned southern expansion, ANC will reach capacity by 2050. A 2017 report to Congress presented
options, other than reducing eligibility, to maintain current operations. Option 3.2.2.3 in the report would
require legislation to establish a new DoD national cemetery in a new location:
“ANC, as it operates today, cannot endure forever in its current space. Looking 100-200 years into the
future, how and where will we honor our Nation’s heroes? Another option, which the Army recognizes
would represent a significant change, is establishing a new Department of Defense-run national cemetery
in another location. This would mean building a new cemetery in a suitable place that would offer the
same burial honors as ANC. While it is impossible to recreate the aesthetic appeal and history of ANC,
this new cemetery could grow to become iconic over time, in the same way that ANC has gradually
evolved over the past 150 years. Operating ANC as an active burial ground for as long as possible would
allow a phase of overlap and continuity while establishing the new space.”
It’s not too late for Congress to intervene. And the path forward may be clearer with a new Defense
Advisory Council on Arlington National Cemetery – Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin released all of the
council’s members as part of a zero-based review of DoD advisory boards. The old board had supported
the eligibility changes. Readers are requested to contact their legislators and ask a replacement for
Arlington be designated. This can easily be done by utilizing the MOAA TAKE Action prepared editable
message at https://takeaction.moaa.org/moaa/app/wri...tId=511221. Make your
voice heard today.